Wellbeing Consultation at the ONS

A big thank you to everyone that took part in the Wellbeing Consultation at the Office for National Statistics. We look forward to seeing the results.

What is the Wellbeing Consultation?The Wellbeing Consultation is to make sure the Office for National Statistics and Defra understand that the environmental equality indicator must stay.

One of the few things that the government has set up to help protect environmental justice is the environmental equality indicator. This is now under threat.

The indicator binds the government to commit to collecting and using data to improve the quality of the local environment.

Interestingly the consultation documents say 'ONS are working with Defra to develop a measure of access and quality of the local environment'. Don't be fooled, this doesn't mean that the indicator will be saved. It is still up for review and under danger of being chopped.

New research shows UK climate change injustice

People who emit the least carbon in the UK are most likely to suffer from the consequences of climate change. Two new reports, published today (24 November) by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), show for the first time who emits the most carbon and identifies who and where is most vulnerable to climate change in the UK.

Understanding the social impacts of UK climate policies reveals distinct social patterns in the way that emissions vary across UK households. 

Justice, climate change and vulnerability identifies for the first time the people and places in the UK most likely to be worst affected by climate change. 

Ipsos MORI research for FDSD on British concern for future generations

More than two thirds (67%) of British people believe the UK Government considers future generations too little in decisions it makes today.

Opinion poll findings commissioned from Ipsos MORI by FDSD and theIntergenerational Foundation in November 2011 also found that nearly half of those interviewed (45%) think passing on a healthy planet is more important than passing on a thriving economy (9%), safety and security (16%) or even an unspoilt countryside (4%).

And far from looking out only for ourselves or our own children, almost two thirds (64%) think all future generations’ needs should take priority when we think about sharing the Earth’s resources.

Download finding of MORI Research

The launch of the 3 Demands (3Ds) Campaign

So far, 26 countries have participated in the campaign! Now comes the time to promote our demands and make sure our voices are heard. To do this, we have created the following resources:
 
A Rio+20 page on the TAI website. Make sure to visit the documents page to view the full list of 3Ds submitted and other Rio related documents.
      
A public petition to  UNDESA and the Rio+20 Bureau requesting them to include five sustainable development governance goals and commitments in the compilation document and zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome documents. Please sign the petition and encourage others to do the same. Our goal is to have 1,000 signature by October 30, 2011.
       
A preliminary analysis of demands trends across countries (soon to be translated in Spanish). Paper copies of this document will be distributed at the UN DPI/ NGO conference in Bonn this weekend.

If you have not participated in the 3Ds campaign yet but would like to do so, it is not too late! They will be releasing a second report in March 2012. Please contact lbaesens@wri.org and they will send you the required documents.  

Download tips on how to promote your demands in your own country.
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What is Environmental Justice

Clean air, water, land and safe housing are part of everyone's basic human rights. But across the world, the most vulnerable people with the least power and money see these rights denied on a daily basis. Yet, whilst they are most likely to face environmental injustice, they are least likely to be included in making the decisions that tackle these issues. In urban areas poverty means fewer choices about environmental matters - when those in power do not listen to the poorest people, there are many negative consequences.

Capacity Global works specifically with people and communities in urban areas, who suffer most from environmental injustice, to ensure their voices get heard. We work with people on local environmental issues and work that tackles global challenges like climate change. Our work is effective because we collaborate with diverse partners and networks. We also ask questions that get to the heart of issues, and we work directly with the people that suffer the most from living in poor neighbourhoods. Because of this, Capacity Global is able to develop research, share knowledge and help provide solutions that challenge inequalities and provide resources that create healthy urban environments.

The Price of Race Inequality: The Black Manifesto 2010

The black Manifesto illustrates support for better environmental justice policies and more benefits from investment in green jobs and low carbon communities. Capacity Global co-wrote the report and supports the manifesto. Click here to find out more about race and environmental justice - what the political parties need to know.
Download: black_manifesto_race_inequality

Maria's blog on Environmental Justice

Capacity's Environmental Justice: Research Projects

Environmental Justice Think Piece
Defra commissioned Capacity Global and the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) to develop a think piece on Environmental Justice for their third sector strategy. The paper was published on Capacity's and Elf's website, asking for views and recommendations on the EJ Think Piece. This consultation is now closed. Thank you for your responses.
Download EJ Think Piece

A Fairer Place? Assessing Urban Environmental Equity
Sustainable Urban Environment - Metric Models and Toolkits (SUE-MOT), a consortia of academic, industrial, government and community parterns has developed a framework to help urban decision-makers examine the environmental equity implications of proposed urban developments in the UK.
Download: Environmental Equality Framework

Environmental Justice - Making the Links
Commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Capacity Global is working with the Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Westminster to establish what environmental justice means to communities, policy makers and academics.  This report aims to provide policy level learning on the connections between environmental justice, social inclusion, sustainable development and equality.

Mapping Common Ground
A cross-sector workshop organised alongside the UK Environment Agency, this session facilitated a debate between academia, government, business and non-government organisations on the links between social policy and environmental issues.Download Report.

Capacity's Environmental Justice Reports

Capacity Global produces a range of Environmental Jusice reports covering issues at a local, national and international level. If you would like to order a copy of a report email: resourcecentre@capacity.org.uk or you can download the reports for free from our website. PDF's use Acrobat Reader, click here to download Acrobat. 

So what is Environmental Justice? Capacity Global Briefing Paper, July 2007
Download: what_is_env_jus.pdf

NGO Leaders Meeting on Democracy, Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development
This short background note is intended to help stimulate discussion at a half-day Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Leaders meeting on democracy, environmental justice and sustainable development on 26th October 2009.

Community Capacity Building:  Creating a Better Future Together
Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Edited by Antonella Noya, Emma Clarence, Gary Craig. Capacity Global wrote the chapter on environment and community capacity building.

Capacity's Environmental Justice: Training

Green Collar Jobs - The TEN Project
Capacity's Ten project was brought about by two main objectives. First, to encourage diversity within the environment sector (built and natural).  Second, to inspire people from diverse backgrounds to work for an environmental organisation. Capacity has set about recruiting ten trainees who will receive training and gain work experience in the environment sector over a period of two to twelve months. The TEN project will track the progress of each intern, documenting the personal and organisational transformations that arise in a sector known for it’s cultural exclusivity.

Capacity's Environmental Justice: Policy and Advocacy

Re-launch of the Environmental Justice and Race Equality in the European Union (EJ.EU)
The report below, EJ.EU was initially launched during the European Year for Equal Opportunities in 2007. It finds that the Race Equality Directive (2000/43/EC) may present an opportunity for equality and anti-discrimination legislation to be used to legally tackle environmental injustices. The Directive bans direct and indirect discrimination on grounds of racial or ethnic origin.

The report has had an impact on environmental and equality campaigns. Based on the study, public pressure groups have begun to use equality and anti-discrimination legislation in an environmental context. Earlier this year, Hounslow Race Equality Council (Hounslow REC), represented by Gita Parihar of Friends of the Earth, challenged the government’s proposals to develop Heathrow airport. They argued that the government had failed to assess whether noise pollution from the airport would disproportionately affect the local ethnic population.

As a result, the government has produced an Equality Impact Assessment in connection with the consultations on the expansion of Heathrow Airport. The Assessment considers the potential impacts of proposals to develop the airport on groups as regards to race, gender, disability, age (specifically children and older people) as well as the impacts on low income groups.

National legislation adopted to transpose the Race Equality Directive varies significantly. But the general framework binds government authorities throughout Europe and creates enforceable rights and obligations. The report will therefore be particularly valuable for activists, lawyers and policymakers looking for new avenues to help represent the interests of people suffering environmental inequalities.

Environmental Justice in Europe - EJ.EU
This groundbreaking programme of work is designed to tackle environmental inequality by improving access to environmental justice across Europe. Environmental Justice in Europe (EJ.EU) provides a forum for information, discussion and research that encourages European Union institutions to integrate environmental equality into policy and law.  EJ.EU is currently exploring the possibility of using European ‘discrimination’ laws to improve quality of life for those communities most vulnerable to the impacts of environmental degradation. 

Race and Environmental Justice - what the political parties need to know...

Race Equality Election Forum at the House of Commons. The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Senior will be the guest of honour at the forum, which is hosted by the 1990 Trust and its newly formed Roots Research Centre. 

The election forum will examine the key areas of importance for race equality, ahead of Britain’s next general election. There will be a cross-party panel discussion, which will include representatives from the main political parties and race equality organisation leaders.

The forum discussion will contribute to the development of the Race Equality Manifesto - an analysis of the central issues surrounding race in Britain. Capacity Global will be writing the Environment section of the manifesto report.

The Race Equality Manifesto is a partnership initiative led by the 1990 Trust, Operation Black Vote, Equanomics UK and Just West Yorkshire. Contributors include: the Afiya Trust, JCORE, the Runnymede Trust, NUS Black Students Campaign, Urban Forum, Encounter, Friends of Al Aqsa, the Society of Black Lawyers, the National Black Police Association, the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM), The Bristol Black Development Agency, Oxfam, Black Mental Health UK, Capacity Global, the Steve Biko Housing Association, Black arts organisations and a wide range of other third sector organisations. 
Click here to read more