Abstract
Despite a number of seemingly progressive government initiatives, recent studies show environmental injustice continues to be a real and substantive problem in the United Kingdom. This case study focuses on one possible reason for this—the lack of inclusion of deprived communities in environmental decision-making. It uses a case study of Lockleaze, a deprived area of Bristol, drawing on findings from a literature review, participant observation, and interviews with local activists.
The findings suggest that, though people in this particular community are interested and active on environmental matters, their achievements are limited largely as a result of the asymmetry of power in environmental decision-making “partnerships.” They seemed to have little influence over agendas and decisions and lacked access to environmental information. Useful policy responses to this would be to guarantee that local state agencies act in accordance with the expressed needs of people in deprived communities; to enforce the Aarhus Convention on environmental rights to information, consultation, and justice; and to train relevant professionals in community approaches to enable them to work constructively with deprived communities.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.