Defining Environmental Justice

Provided by: EarthEcho International |Published on: January 9, 2025

Lesson Plans

9101112AP

Scientist Reviewed ↗

Synopsis

In this lesson, students will explore case studies of environmental injustice, use the Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool to find injustice in their communities, and listen to stories of victims and activists fighting for environmental justice.
Students will read and listen to stories about the toxic pollution in Louisiana's Cancer Alley, criminal disposal of toxic pollutants in The City of Vernon in Southern California, and lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan.

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Subjects: Civics, Health

Authors: EarthEcho International, López-Wagner Strategies

Region: California, Louisiana, Mid Michigan

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

Students will be moved by the personal accounts of victims in the sacrifice zones and inspired by their commitment to justice.
By constructing their own definition, students will cement their understanding of the term environmental justice.

Prerequisites

The link to Dr. Bob Bullard's profile and some of the reference links are broken.
Students should understand the history and current prevalence of institutionalized racism.

Differentiation & Implementation

After completing this lesson, students can look into the ways institutionalized racism and other social injustices are intertwined with climate change impacts, such as access to cooling stations during increasingly common extreme heat events.
Before students use the tool to look at injustice in their communities, teachers may want to show them what the communities in the case studies look like on the map.
If classes are short on time, teachers can split students into three groups to review each of the case studies, then report back to their classmates using the jigsaw method.
To learn more about the environmental justice implications of redlining, students can use this Tree Equity Lesson.

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About the Partner Provider

EarthEcho International

EarthEcho International envisions a world where every individual has the opportunity and tools to create a healthy and thriving environment. To that end, their mission is to build a global youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet. Their Academy is a new virtual learning space developed to provide online courses for teacher professional learning with access to fully remote, asynchronous environmental education modules for students.

Scientist Reviewed

This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.

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Defining Environmental Justice

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

About the Partner Provider

Scientist Reviewed

Related Teaching Resources