英文摘要 |
Recently, more and more environmental movements organized by communities have underscored surviving instead of protecting the environment. Why have these environmental movements declared that they are struggling to survive? In these movements, why do residents emphasize “environmental justice”? In the future, how can communities deal with environmental risks? This paper discusses the relationships between environmental justice, human rights, and the “right to know” reflected in environmental justice movements. From the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (known as the two Covenants), to the US’s Right-To- Know Act, Japan’s PRTR regulation, and recent Human Rights Special Procedures, environmental justice is made explicit. This paper argues that the procedural justice of environmental justice is closely connected with human rights and the right to know, which empowers residents to strive for clean and healthy living conditions. This paper states three ideas based on a case study in which residents in the state of Louisiana are confronting the Japanese Denka Corporation. First, unlike the environmental protection movement of three decades ago, contemporary environmental movements require equality of environmental waste management and transparent information to protect a community. Secondly, residents should have the right to know about the companies and factories which influence their neighborhood, so that they may be able to recognize environmental risks and how to prepare and protect their community. Thirdly, when residents resist threatening environmental pollutants and risks in their community, environmental justice requires human rights and the right to know. Environmental justice not only needs more attention from academics but also needs an improvement in environmental laws. In the future, the precautionary principle is most effective in the face of environmental risks. Furthermore, environmental justice that helps citizens recognize environmental risks and attend to environmental decision-making needs the protection of human rights and the right to know. |