Race, Ethnicity, and the Distribution of Environmental Justice in the United States

With data from the U.S. General Social Survey linked with regional environmental quality data this article considers the individual demand for environmental quality as measured by stated preferences, relative to its supply, to determine if race/ethnicity matter for the demand and supply of environmental quality and environmental justice. Parameter estimates reveal that relative to Whites, the distribution of environmental quality is unjust for African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Indians, Southeast Asians and other race. This suggests that as race/ethnicity conditions the distribution of environmental justice, there remains an unmet demand for environmental quality in the United States among non-Whites, As such, environmental policy interventions that acknowledge the intersection of race/ethnicity, civil rights, and environmental—such as the Environmental Protection Agency equity action plan―are well-motivated.