Environmental Justice

Law, Policy & Regulation

Fourth Edition

by Clifford Villa, Nadia Ahmad, Rebecca Bratspies, Patrice Simms, Carlton Waterhouse, Clifford Rechtschaffen, Eileen Gauna, Catherine O'Neill, Roger Lin

Forthcoming January 2026

Tags: Environmental/Energy and Resources Law

Teacher's Manual forthcoming

ISBN 978-1-5310-3353-8
eISBN 978-1-5310-3354-5

Environmental Justice: Law, Policy & Regulation explores current theory and practice concerning disproportionate environmental impacts on people and places. Drawing from decades of experience with community engagement, interdisciplinary scholarship, and legal authorities including environmental law and civil rights, Environmental Justice examines the range of environmental threats presently facing vulnerable populations, including communities of color; poor, immigrant, and Indigenous communities; as well as women, children, and older adults.

This Fourth Edition provides updated materials to address environmental justice concerns today, including hazardous air pollutants in "Cancer Alley," contaminated lands from the Arctic to the Southwest, drinking water contamination in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi; and the devastation wrought by hurricanes, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters across the United States. It also examines the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, innovations for advancing environmental justice during the Biden administration, plus challenges and opportunities to continue progress during the second Trump administration.

Featuring a new chapter considering international concerns for environmental justice, this new edition also expands coverage of cumulative impacts, state and local initiatives, climate justice, disaster justice, and food justice – all with an eye towards identifying modern challenges and available tools for the continuing pursuit of environmental justice.