Introduction

Environmental equity is making sure that everyone experiences environmental

issues the same way that no one is discriminated against. Environmental justice
intern is the meaningful involvement of everyone regardless of who they are, they
should be treated fairly and allowed to participate in decision making and
policymaking regarding their environment. In this essay, I will discuss environmental
equity and environmental justice as they pertain to vulnerable groups and women in
society.
Environmental Equity
To define environmental equity, it is important to understand the term equity. “Equity
is defined as free reasonable conformity to accepted standards of natural right law
and justice without prejudice, favoritism fraud and without rigor entailing undue
hardships “ therefore environmental equity is put in place to make sure that there is a
just and fair way of dealing with environmental waste such pollution, hazardous
waste, and acid rainy.
“Environmental equity is a politically charged term and makes distinctions
between outcome and process equity. Outcome equity focuses on the
allocation of environmental amenities and disamenities about affected
populations, and process equity focuses on whether the decision-making
process was fair” (Deacon, 2020).
This means that the affected population must experience environmental issues
equally to any other population regardless of their geological ….or race and the
decisions taken are fair to everyone. then there is environmental inequity which
means some people experience environmental degradation more than others based
on their race, ethnicity, and gender (Ben Crump, 2021). Environmental equity is
making sure there is equal access to resources, the same allocation for everyone,
everyone is treated the same and societal risks are the same across all populations.
The United Nations' Rio Declaration on Environment and Development of 1992
established a comprehensive framework for global environmental fairness. The
action plan, Agenda 2/, specifies 27 specific principles and provides a framework for
executing the fairness concept. "Equity is addressed directly in about half of the
declared principles (Cutter, 1995) There are different types of environmental equity,
there is social equity, which focuses on the role that society plays in resource
consumption and environmental degradation (Maqabuka, 2022).this also refers to
the impact environmental issues have on specific disadvantaged communities, like
locally unwanted land uses, hazardous waste and landscape risk (2022). Then
there’s generational equity, this is our obligation duty to the future generation as we
have inherited the environment from the previous generation. The basic principle of
this equity is to conserve the environment as much as we can and restore it for a
better future. Generational equity has two elements outcome; the disposal o
radioactive waste for the self-interest of one generation (the wealthy) may bring
irreversible harm to the future generation. Process; presents a framework of ethical
concerns and legal conventions the ensure that the future generation is not harmed
by the current and previous behaviors. Procedural equity concern the fairness with
which government laws and regulations, enforcements intervention treaties, and
sanctions are applied. Vulnerable people experience different treatment, mostly
people of color, which is called environmental racism is a mix of prejudice and the
ability to implement decisions and policies that maintain, promote, and defend white
people’s social position at the expense of people of color (Deacon, 2020)

Environmental justice
To understand environmental justice one must understand environmental racism. the
inequality of having to fear for your lives and health as they are disproportionately
put at risk. Environmental racism came about during the civil rights movements in
1982 when activists organized themselves to stop the state of North Carolina from
dumping 120 million pounds of soil contamination with polychromate
biphenyls(PCBs) in the county with the highest proportion of African Americans (P,
Mohai., et al,2009). Hundreds of studies have concluded that ethnic minorities,
indigenous peoples, people of colour, and low-income areas face a larger burden of
environmental contamination from industrialization, militarization, and consumer
habits in the air, water, and land (2009). This problem, often known as environmental
racism, environmental inequity, or environmental injustice, has piqued policymakers'
interest. The poor are disproportionately affected by environmental problems. Those
at the bottom of the social ladder are less able to avoid the repercussions of motor
vehicle exhausts, polluting industry and electricity generation, or poor distribution of
critical utilities. This disproportionate distribution of environmental 'evil' is
exacerbated by the fact that the poor are not the biggest polluters on a global and
national scale. Pollution is one example. Except for lead in children, a review
published by the United States in 1992 (Roque, 1993) concluded that while there
were racial disparities in the rate of death and incidence of disease, these
differences were due to exposure to environmental toxins. Minority groups and low-
income people are more likely to be exposed, according to the report (Hempton,
1999). Multinational firms exploit environmental regulations in poor countries to
create an export industry in toxic manufacturing plants. These partnerships appear to
be advantageous for both the host country and the multinational firm on the surface,
but mishaps sometimes arise. Even while environmental standards exist on paper,
many governments have insufficient capacity to implement them (lack of employees,
overlapping authorities, lack of monitoring equipment, lack of data (Cutter,
1995)),this ends up affecting the most vulnerable people, children and women.
The effects of environmental injustice on Vulnerable groups
Women and child are more vulnerable to environmental injustice/issues and also
people of color due to environmental rasicsm. Children Because their organs are still
developing, their immune systems are not fully developed, and they have smaller
body weights than adults, they absorb more pollutants per body weight than
adults.Fetuses, for example, are highly vulnerable to industrial toxins such as PCBs,
organic solvents, mercury, and pesticides, as well as self-administered toxins such
as alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, and heroin (Cutter, 1995). Children who play on the
streets, near main roads, near highways, in rubbish dumps, or in abandoned lots are
constantly subjected to a multitude of toxins, including pesticides and heavy metals.
A mystery hazardous combination is created by the water kids drink, the food they
consume, and even the air they breathe.
Although environmental pollutants have long been suspected of playing a role in the
development of cancer, new research suggests that they may play an even bigger
role: their potential to disrupt hormone systems, particularly those that drive
reproduction." Carbon monoxide poisoning is more common in children than in
adults. 40 Particulates play a role in the development of acute respiratory illnesses.
Each year, 4.3 million children die as a result of these diseases. 4' In rural areas of
underdeveloped countries, the burning of wood and dung in primitive stoves with
insufficient ventilation releases 2-100 times the WHO recommended particle level
safety threshold (WHO). Poisoning by carbon monoxide is also a concern. Because
they spend a lot of time preparing and cooking food and managing the indoor
environment, women and girls are particularly exposed to these indoor toxins. Indoor
air pollution puts 700 million women and children at risk of developing chronic
respiratory disorders.In South Africa People could claim that the country's biggest
environmental issues and injustices are in the country's townships and factories, a
line of reasoning that spread like wildfire in the highly politicized climate of the post-
apartheid political transition.forgeting the injustcice of the parts that black people that
live in townships have been placed there on purpose in cluttered environmental with
little or no resource to ensure that measures are put in place to limint the
environmental problems.
Conclusion