美国环境正义探析

A Study on Environmental Justice in USA

环境正义研究兴起于20世纪80年代,美国的黑人因为垃圾倾倒问题提出抗争,引发美国社会公众与学者的声援,进而提出了环境正义这个新的伦理概念。本文主要着眼美国“环境正义”的概念和美国环境正义运动,评价美国环境正义的内容和应用:我们对于环境正义诸多方面的了解还远远不够;环境正义给环境政策博弈中的每个参与主体带来变化;环境正义更关注和强调同时代在环境利益分配时强势群体对弱势群体行为不正义现象及矫正;环境正义揭示了环境利益通常表现为强势群体的利益;环境正义关心不同经济和文化背景下的群体所面临的环境胁迫及其解决之道;环境正义运用了平等原则解决环境权利和义务。恰当的环境正义理论有着极大的实践和指导意义,为有效解决生态危机提供了一种崭新的方法,对于构建中国环境正义理论和环境友好型社会具有直接的指导和实践意义。

Theresearch of environmental justice began in USA when the American black struggled against the waste dump issues in the 1980s. Later, supported by the American public and the academic circle, the struggle led to the emergence of a new ethical concept, namely environmental justice. This paper evaluates the academic and practical values of the environmental justice theory by analyzing this new concept and American environmental justice movement. In the establishment of the theory framework, many concepts need clarifying. The theory has brought changes to participants of environmental policy system. More attention has been paid to the rights of the weak group rather than the strong group in environmental benefit allocation. Environmental justice focuses on the environmental crisis of social groups with diversified economic and cultural background, and besides, solutions are studied based on the equality principle in environmental rights and duties. The theory of American environmental justice presents great theoretical and practical significance in the development of environmental ethics and the establishment of environmental friendly society in China.