Resource justice (also referred to as "resource equity" or "resource governance") is a term in

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment (biophysical), environment, par ...

and in environmental ethics. It combines elements of

distributive justice Distributive justice concerns the socially just allocation of resources. Often contrasted with just process, which is concerned with the administration of law, distributive justice concentrates on outcomes. This subject has been given considerab ...

and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement to address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms from hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses.Schlosberg, David. (2007) ''Defining Environmental Justice ...

and is based on the observation that many countries rich in

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

s such as

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ...

s and other raw materials nevertheless experience high levels of poverty. This

resource curse The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty or the poverty paradox, is the phenomenon of countries with an abundance of natural resources (such as fossil fuels and certain minerals) having less economic growth, less democracy, or wor ...

is one of the main ethical reasons to demand resource justice, that is, a globally fair distribution of all natural resources.

Factors leading to resource injustice

The term resource justice as a subcategory of distributive justice was first developed following the repeated observation that natural resources that, supposedly, are a blessing for local populations, turn out to be a curse. This can manifest itself in a number of ways – and for a number of reasons, some of which occur in isolation but more often arise together. Some examples are: *

Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

or oil drilling result in severe damage to the environment, for example through

oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into ...

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is d ...

, or

contamination Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination ...

. * The extraction of resources leads to extreme forms of

exploitation of labour Exploitation of labour (also known as labor) is a concept defined as, in its broadest sense, one agent taking unfair advantage of another agent. It denotes an unjust social relationship based on an asymmetry of power or unequal exchange of value b ...

and / or creates very hazardous working conditions. * Resources are being controlled by a small elite that makes or embezzles all the profits. This often goes along with

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

. * People are forced off their land to make place for resource extraction or for large monocultural plantations. * Resources in the developing world are being extracted by companies from industrialised countries, with most of the profits going to the latter. * Companies extract genetic material, which is then commercially farmed or bred – and often patented.

Approaches towards greater resource justice

Capacity building and external support in order to empower "communities affected by oil, gas, and mining operations" so that they themselves are able to determine how local resources are being used. In addition, mechanisms have to be developed to make sure that finite resources are distributed in an equitable way so that poor nations' right to development is not denied. The memorandum Resource Politics for a Fair Future, published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation lists three criteria for a "fair and sustainable Resource Politics", namely: * to "secure the rights of people and nature over markets and profits" and empower them to demand their rights; * to return the "control over natural resources, financial capital and technologies (...) into the hands of the people; * to "transform production, consumption and livelihoods" in ways that enable people to live in a world of global equity.Resource Politics for a Fair Future, p.12-13
PDF, Berlin 2014

References

External links

Dossier – Resource Politics for a Fair Future
Heinrich Böll Foundation {{Types of justice . Environmentalism Resource economics Resource extraction Social justice Sustainable development Value (ethics)

Factors leading to resource injustice

Approaches towards greater resource justice

See also

References

Further reading

External links