Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Justice : Realization through Disaggregation?

Sustainable development represents the practical means of reconciling conflicts among three sectors — the economy, environment, and society. Interestingly, although social equity and environmental protection arguably fit well into the notion of sustainable development, explicit mention of the term resting at the intersection of these objectives — environmental justice (EJ) — has not been observed in any major international document on the subject.12 In light of this curious omission, what, if any, role does EJ play in the world’s latest program designed to achieve sustainable development — the SDGs? Further, to what extent, if any, are countries making strides towards realizing EJ through the pursuit of progress on the SDGs? This article offers a definitive take on the former question, and a tentative assessment on the latter. Analysis proceeds as follows: Part I develops a comprehensive, contemporary definition of environmental justice; Part II demonstrates how EJ relates to the SDGs; Part III discusses the data obtained and methods used to analyze the presence of EJ across Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) submitted by countries on a non-mandatory basis to disclose progress made on the SDGs; Part IV conveys the results of the empirical analysis of the VNRs; and Part V offers conclusions and recommendations for strengthening the likelihood of attaining EJ through the SDGs