Environmental justice: protecting people and planet

You may be surprised at just how much the environment connects with many of the other challenges we face as a society.

Some of our most pressing issues aren’t isolated problems but are part of a bigger picture. From the cost-of-living crisis to poor health outcomes, from lack of access to public transport to communities abandoned by those in power. Our struggles are shared and it’s essential we all come together to create a fairer, greener world.

A safer, fairer and greener future can only be built when we recognise that our struggles are connected and that our humanity is shared.

Asad Rehman, chief executive, Friends of the Earth.

What is environmental justice?

Environmental justice is about fighting for solutions to poverty and environmental destruction that work for everyone, not just a select few. And because the root causes are the same, many environmental solutions will help solve social issues too.

Power held by a few,  huge inequalities, exploitative systems and so on – are harming people and planet. And different communities feel the effects of the crisis differently.

Environmental justice mapping

People living in some parts of England are placed at far greater environmental risk than others — from dangerous pollution levels and a lack of access to nature, to flooding and extreme heat.  

People of colour and low-income households are over twice as likely to live in neighbourhoods most exposed to environmental harm.  

A new tool now makes it possible to see exactly where inequalities are worst, and to identify the communities that need the most urgent support. Knowing who needs support makes it easier for communities to demand solutions. It's the first step on the path to environmental justice.

The environment and health: who is most at risk?

Communities that experience discrimination and disadvantage – for example disabled people and those living in deprived areas – are already more likely to experience poor health outcomes. Environmental changes will only worsen these health inequalities.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen the NHS decimated by government. Funding cuts, insufficient staffing and prioritised private-sector contracts have all had a huge impact on our physical and mental health. The worst burden to bear falls on those from the most marginalised communities.

What’s more, there's significant and growing evidence that the climate and nature crisis significantly impacts mental as well as physical health.

Many of the answers to the climate and nature crisis can benefit people’s physical and mental health too. From clean air zones to insulating homes and restoring green space. So it's important to tackle these issues together, using win-win solutions that protect our health and our planet.

Are people on low incomes more likely to be placed in harmful environments?

While the wealthiest people, companies and countries bear most of the responsibility for the climate and nature crisis, it’s those with the least who feel the impacts first and worst. 

People with less money are forced to face tougher living conditions – from worse environments to less access to essentials. 

Low-income countries get exploited, while richer countries and companies reap the rewards.

People might struggle to afford basic necessities such as food and fuel, which can in turn cause stress and mental health issues. They might be excluded from various things, such as having access to green space or owning a car. And have to live in polluted urban cities or isolated rural areas.

Depending on the area, different solutions are needed to tackle wealth inequalities and the impacts of low incomes. From charging low-income households less for energy, to companies being held responsible for the harm they cause to people and planet.

Who is most likely to live in places with less green space?

Green spaces make us happier and healthier. They help reduce heart disease, obesity and depression, and they save the NHS more than £100 million each year in GP visits and prescriptions. They’re also valuable in other ways, such as reducing flooding, cutting carbon emissions and protecting nature.

Despite all these benefits, almost 10 million people in England live in areas with very limited access to green space. People of colour are twice as likely to live in a neighbourhood with minimal access to green space. Almost 40% of people of colour live in areas most deprived of green space, compared with just 14% of white people. Children from the most deprived areas are 20% less likely to spend time outside than those in affluent areas.

We need stronger policies and significant investment in quality green infrastructure. We need to reduce spending on new roads. Introduce a requirement to create new green space where there's a lack of it. And get more communities gardening to create greener streets.

Who has the least access to public transport?

Marginalised and rural communities are most impacted by poor public transport infrastructure. Disabled people have less access to support as ticket offices close, fares are too high for people on low incomes and people of colour and people from the LGBTQIA+ community  are more likely to experience and report instances of verbal abuse on public transport. 33% of black people have no access to a car or van, compared with 16% of white people.

We need the government to increase spending on regular, reliable and affordable public transport such as trains and buses. And on good cycle lanes and footpaths. These help with a wide range of issues, like improved access to work and services, better health, less traffic, fewer emissions and reduced air pollution. Good public transport and active travel also make us better connected.

Who is most at risk from pollution?

Those who’ve done the least to cause pollution are often the ones most impacted by it. For example, households in neighbourhoods with very high air pollution are over 3 times less likely to own a car than those in the least polluted areas. Children are also particularly at risk as their lungs are still developing. Across England and Wales, around 1 million under-18s live in areas where key air pollutants are double World Health Organization guidelines. People of colour and people on low incomes are also more impacted.

We need the government to invest in public transport and active travel like walking and cycling. We need companies to be held to account for the harm they cause people and planet and we need governments to set up publicly accessible registers of contaminated land.

Most pollution is caused by businesses, whether that’s the water companies pumping out sewage over 1,000 times a day, the big food companies driving the increase in factory farms or the airports causing air and noise pollution. Yet it’s ordinary people and the natural world that suffer the consequences.

Whose voices matter to decision makers?

Our rights and freedoms are increasingly under threat from authoritarian legislation. Decisions are often made without transparency or consultation with the communities they affect.

When it comes to decision making around policies that will impact our lives, we need access to transparent information about these choices, and we need to ensure that our voices are represented and heard. Too often, decisions are made on our behalf without consultation. This is even more damning when decision makers don’t have lived experience of or access to information from the very communities these policies will most impact.

Those living in poverty and experiencing inequality often have less time, headspace and resources to engage in elections and other democratic processes. What’s more, many people feel their voice isn’t important or doesn’t count, which discourages participation further. The mainstream environmental movement also needs do better at listening to and supporting communities on the front lines of injustice. 

Here in the UK, our rights and freedoms are also under threat due to anti-protest legislation. The previous government passed the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (PCSCA) in 2022 and the even more authoritarian Public Order Act in 2023. These laws gave the police extensive new powers to stop and search protesters. Specific individuals could even be banned from protesting. Our ability to voice our concerns and participate in democracy are seriously at risk.

How do voice and participation link to environmental justice?

Certain communities are worse off simply because of who they are and where they live. And their voices are often ignored by those in power. This worsens the impacts they’re already experiencing due to climate breakdown and causes otherwise preventable tragedies.

• Climate adaptation. Despite repeated calls from impacted communities, the UK lacks an adequate plan to adapt to the impacts of climate change. For example, Kevin Jordan’s seaside home was demolished in December 2023 due to coastal erosion, and he received no compensation. Meanwhile, care home resident and disability rights activist Doug Paulley regularly struggles with heatwaves due to long-term health conditions. Together with Friends of the Earth, they took government to court over its weak plans, but the judge ruled against us.
• Extreme weather disasters. Evacuation and relief efforts often don’t account for the most marginalised in society. For example, during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the evacuation services didn’t have buses with wheelchair lifts, and they didn’t employ people who could relay information to people with hearing and sight impairments. This meant a disproportionate number of disabled people died. More recently, during the 2025 wildfires in California, most of the 29 people who died were older adults and disabled people who couldn’t evacuate or for whom help didn’t come. 

We’re also seeing the impacts of the crack-down on our rights and freedoms:

• Excessive prison sentences. In July 2024, 5 peaceful climate activists received record prison sentences of up to 5 years, simply for joining a Zoom call about an M25 protest. These are similar in length to, and in some instances longer than, the sentences received by those involved in the violent, racist riots of 2024. Their sentences have since been reduced, but the UK is still locking people up for sounding the alarm about the climate crisis.
• Arrests for peaceful protest. Just days after the Public Order Act became law, it was used to arrest and detain 6 members of anti-monarchy group Republic for 16 hours during King Charles’s coronation. But there was no evidence of any intention to cause disruption, and the protesters were eventually released without charge.
• Discrimination. Part 4 of the PCSCA is a direct assault on the traditional way of life of Gypsy and Traveller communities, creating a new offence of criminal trespass with "intent to reside". Police can ban Gypsies and Travellers from an area for up to 12 months, arrest, fine and imprison them, and seize their homes in roadside camps.

What's the solution?

We need to ensure diverse voices and opinions are consulted and included in all decision-making processes.

If you do one thing: know your rights. Anyone taking part in peaceful protests needs to be aware of their rights and responsibilities, as well as the protest laws and police powers in play.

Other solutions include:

• Fairness. Fairness in climate policy is about making sure it works for everyone. In practice, this means overturning existing inequalities and addressing the impacts of climate change and climate policy on 3 specific communities: future generations, people in low-income countries and people in poverty in the UK. This means engaging the public at every turn is critical. We’re calling for fair climate policies through our Big Climate Plan campaign. Add your name.
• Public participation. Our leaders should use approaches such as citizen assemblies and citizen juries to ensure everyone can participate in decision making. They should also prioritise the voices of those most impacted, for example through focus groups, panels and dedicated roles.
• Climate adaptation. The government needs to produce a robust new adaptation plan that helps safeguard people, especially those most at risk including disabled people and those with health issues. Sign our petition.

We also need to ensure our rights and freedoms are respected and protected. We’re fighting against authoritarian sentences and legislation in the courts, here and overseas. Find out more about how we're fighting to protect our right to protest.

Further reading

• Read more about how rights and freedoms are threatened in the UK.
• Find out more about how UK law threatens Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
• Read more about the national adaptation plan and the court case.
• Learn more about how disability and climate issues are linked.
• Find out why we need a diverse range of voices to solve global problems and achieve social justice.
• Read our report on fairness in climate policy.

How is Friends of the Earth working to tackle environmental injustice?

Environmental justice is at the forefront of all we do. Whether that’s fighting for a climate plan that puts fairness first or standing with global allies against corporate harm, we’re always working towards a greener, more just future.

But we know that the mainstream environmental movement needs to get better at listening to those on the frontlines of injustice. We’re actively working towards this in a variety of ways:

• Partnerships. We partner with communities and organisations on the frontlines of the climate crisis and other social issues. For example, over the summer of 2025, we delivered a series of Environmental Justice Roadshows, which brought together community and voluntary sector groups across the country to look at how environmental and social issues and inequalities overlap. And in autumn 2025, we're bringing together disability justice activists to co-design an action pushing the UK government and the international community to meaningfully include disabled people’s voices in global climate talks. By building partnerships and supporting their work, we’re ensuring our efforts are going where they’re needed most.
• Local action groups. Our 200+ community groups across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are at the heart of what we do. Groups have made local partnerships up and down the country, and over 100 group members joined our anti-racism training, which they’re now applying to their campaigns. Find out more about our local action groups.
• International solidarity. We’re part of Friends of the Earth International, with over 70 national groups around the world. We regularly stand in solidarity with our sister organisations. We do things like protest lawsuits brought against Indigenous communities protecting their land in Malaysia. Find out more about our international solidarity work.
• Anti-racism. We’re an actively anti-racist organisation. That means anti-racism is key to our campaigns and we stand alongside other groups fighting racism. Find out more about our anti-racism work.
• Young Friends of the Earth. We provide training, funding and platforms for marginalised young people to fight for climate and environmental justice. Our network of racialised, disabled, neurodivergent and working-class young people (aged 16-30) campaign on local to global issues, focused on justice and building community power. Find out more about our youth network.
• The United Nations climate talks. We'll be calling for justice for communities on the frontlines of climate breakdown in the UK and overseas. The impacts of climate change are not dealt equally, and those who’ve done least to cause the global crisis are paying the highest price. The UK must contribute its fair share towards international climate finance, which will support the countries least able to pay for climate action and benefit us all in the collective effort to safeguard our future.

How you can help

Sign our petition calling for a new adaptation plan that means the UK is able to deal with the impacts of climate change. This will help those particularly at risk from climate impacts, including disabled people and those with health issues.