Sustainable Scotland: Putting environmental justice at the heart of the policy agenda?

Abstract

The Scottish Executive has declared its intention to 'put environmental concerns at the heart of public policy and secure environmental justice for all communities'. By way of secondary analysis, we explore two high-profile community campaigns which convey a fundamental tension between the rhetoric and practice of environmental justice within an urban framework. A number of concerns from local communities suggest that the proclaimed enthusiasm for sustainability conceals the true cost of its implementation at a local level. We are of the view that environmental justice - flaunted as a core policy government commitment - throws up a range of contradictions and misconceptions, which implies the need for a more progressive and inclusive approach to the implementation of policy.