EJ - The Principles of Environmental Justice (1991)
Adopted, Washington, D.C., October 1991
First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit
We, the People of Color, are gathered together at this First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, to begin to build a national movement of all peoples of color to fight the destruction of our lands and communities, do hereby reestablish our spiritual interdependence to the sacredness of our Mother Earth; we respect and celebrate each of our cultures, languages and beliefs about the natural world and our roles in healing ourselves; to insure environmental justice; to promote economic alternatives which would contribute to the development of environmentally safe livelihoods; and to secure our political, economic and cultural liberation that has been denied for over 500 years of colonization and oppression, resulting in the poisoning of our communities and land and the genocide of our peoples, do affirm and adopt these Principles of Environmental Justice.
- Environmental
justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and
the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from
ecological destruction.
- Environmental
justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and
justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias.
- Environmental
justice mandates the right to ethical, balanced and responsible uses of
land and renewable resources in the interest of a sustainable
planet for humans and other living things.
- Environmental
justice calls for universal protection from extraction, production and
disposal of toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons that threaten the
fundamental right to clean air, land, water and food.
- Environmental
justice affirms the fundamental right to political, economic,
cultural and environmental self-determination to all peoples.
- Environmental
justice demands the cessation of the production of all toxins,
hazardous wastes, and radioactive substances, and that all past and
current producers be held strictly accountable to the people for
detoxification and the containment at the point of production.
- Environmental
justice demands the right to participate as equal partners at
every level of decision-making including needs assessment, planning,
implementation, enforcement and evaluation.
- Environmental
justice affirms the right of all workers to a safe and healthy work
environment, without being forced to choose between an unsafe
livelihood and unemployment It also affirms the right of those who
work at home to be free from environmental hazards.
- Environmental
justice protects the rights of victims of environmental justice to
receive full compensation and reparations for damages as well as
quality health care.
- Environmental
justice considers governmental acts of environmental injustice a
violation of international law, the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights, and the United Nations Convention on Genocide.
- Environmental
justice recognizes the special legal relationship of Native Americans
to the US government through treaties, agreements, compacts, and
covenants affirming their sovereignty and self-determination.
- Environmental
justice affirms the need for an urban and rural ecology to clean up and
rebuild our cities and rural areas in balance with
nature, honoring the cultural integrity of all our communities,
and providing fair access for all to the full range of resources.
- Environmental
justice calls for the strict enforcement of principles of informed
consent, and a halt to the testing of experimental reproductive and
medical procedures and vaccinations on people of color.
- Environmental justice opposes the destructive operations of multi-national corporations.
- Environmental justice opposes military occupations, repression and exploitation of lands, peoples and cultures.
- Environmental
justice calls for the education of present and future generations which
emphasizes social and environmental issues, based on our experiences
and an appreciation of our diverse cultural perspectives.
- Environmental justice requires that we, as individuals, make personal and consumer choices to consume as little of Mother Earth's resources and to produce as little waste as possible; and make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to insure the health of the natural world for present and future generations.
The proceedings to the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit are available from the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, 475 Riverside Dr. Suite 1950, New York, NY 10115.