What level of resistance to air pollution is justified? On violence and self-defense

Abstract

This article evaluates responses to air pollution that lie beyond the domain of state policy and nonviolent civil disobedience. I begin by presenting evidence that fine particulate matter pollution is more serious than commonly recognized. As a result, attempts to address it deserve more attention from those who are concerned about achieving a just and livable world. I argue that, in part because of its physical characteristics, air pollution pushes the limits of civil disobedience as moral communication. I evaluate one nonviolent and one unarmed violent strategy for collective self-defense against air pollution and make at least two concrete recommendations for engaging in collective self-defense against air pollution.

Keywords

Air pollution civil disobedience civil resistance harm reduction collective self-defense

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