Defining Environmental Justice
Lesson Plans
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APCivics, Health
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by EarthEcho International
What it is
- 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.
Teaching tips
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.
From the scientist review
This lesson plan is a comprehensive introduction to environmental justice. Students will learn what it is and why it is important, examine environmental justice issues nationwide, and look at the environment in their own area. The lesson focuses on pollution, hazardous waste, environmental racism, and equity. It also provides resources for students to learn more, and examine different relevant data. The information presented is accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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