Abstract
Environmental justice, a concept originating in the United States, has increasingly been applied to analyse the unequal distribution of environmental burdens in European contexts. This article examines environmental justice issues in industrial communities in Romania and Poland, where the legacy of socialist-era industrialisation continues to produce significant health and environmental impacts. We investigate how affected communities perceive and respond to industrial pollution, and how class, ethnicity, and political power shape the distribution of environmental risks.
Key Findings
The research demonstrates that environmental burdens in both countries are disproportionately borne by economically marginalised and ethnically minority communities. Roma communities in Romania and working-class neighbourhoods in Polish industrial cities face heightened exposure to pollutants while having the least access to environmental information, legal resources, and political influence. Community responses range from individual coping strategies to collective mobilisation, though sustained environmental activism is constrained by economic dependence on polluting industries and limited civic infrastructure.
Methodology
The study employs a comparative case study design with 12 months of fieldwork in four industrial communities. Methods include environmental monitoring data analysis, health surveys, in-depth interviews with 70 community members, and analysis of regulatory documents and legal proceedings.
Implications
The findings call for a European environmental justice framework that accounts for the specific historical, economic, and political conditions of post-socialist societies.
