Environmental justice and just transition in Harris county, Texas: industrial burden, vulnerability, and policy pathways

Harris County, Texas, provides a critical case for examining the intersection of environmental justice and the energy transition in a major industrial region. The county hosts one of the nation’s most concentrated petrochemical and freight corridors, alongside persistent patterns of racialized land use, uneven pollution exposure, and public health vulnerability. This study examines how environmental burdens, health risks, governance inequality, and policy pathways intersect in this context. Two hypotheses guide the analysis: (1) environmental injustice is structurally reinforced by unequal regulatory and spatial arrangements; and (2) integrated reform pathways produce stronger environmental, health, and economic outcomes than incremental or no-action approaches. A mixed-methods design combines geospatial analysis, statistical modeling, PM 2.5 -based health burden estimation, stakeholder mapping, and scenario-based policy comparison. Results show that environmental burdens are concentrated along the Houston Ship Channel and aligned with vulnerable communities, which experience higher estimated pollution-related mortality and morbidity. Predictive modeling identifies demographic vulnerability as a key structural driver. Stakeholder analysis reveals persistent procedural inequality, while economic comparisons show that comprehensive interventions yield greater long-term net benefits. The findings suggest that environmental inequality in Harris County is structurally embedded, and that a just energy transition requires integrated, equity-centered governance and policy design.