If a city plans to build a dump near a community of poor, predominantly African-American residents, which principle guides opposition?

• A. Environmental justice
• B. Equal rights
• C. Primary prevention
• D. Risk protection

Answer: (A)

Environmental justice focuses on fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to environmental policies and decisions, ensuring that no community bears an undue burden of environmental hazards. In this scenario, siting a dump near a poor, predominantly African-American neighborhood would place that group at greater risk of pollution and related health issues, reflecting an inequitable distribution of environmental harms. Opposing the plan under environmental justice principles aims to prevent such disproportionate burdens and to involve the community in decision-making.

While equal rights covers civil rights and legal equality, it doesn’t specifically address how environmental risks are distributed or how communities participate in decisions about hazards. Primary prevention is about preventing disease or injury before it occurs, a broader public health aim but not the justice-focused lens used here. Risk protection is not a standard term in this context and doesn’t capture the equity and participatory aspects central to environmental justice.