BOOK REVIEWS 179 

One Earth: Social and Environmental Justice 

Nicholas Low and Brendan Gleeson, 1999. 
Australian Conservation Foundation. 
29 pp. 5 Parts. 
ISBN 0 85802 132 3. 
RRP No Cost. 

KELLI O'NEILL I 

Is it fair that some people live in a clean 
and healthy environment, while others live under 
oppressive, hazardous or ugly conditions? Is it fair 
that some reap the benefits of development, but fail 
to bear the cost of air, noise or water pollution 
resulting from the services they exploit? 

One Earth: Social and Environmental justice by 
Nicholas Low and Brendan Gleeson explores the 
connection between environmental responsibility 
and social justice by discussing the concepts of 
environmental and ecological justice. It is the second 
document in the Tela series published by the 
Australian Conservation Foundation. The Tela papers 
explore the relationships between the environment, 
society, the economy and the 21st century. Changes 
that are needed by the economy and society to 
achieve ecologically sustainability are examined. 
The series is aimed at decision makers, opinion 
leaders, educators and for general readership to 
spark debate on key environmental issues. 

According to Low and Gleeson environmental 
justice is the fair distribution of "good" (safe, 
attractive) and "bad" (hazardous, ugly) environments 
among people. It means the fair distribution of 
resources between people, ensuring that their basic 
needs are met. Ecological justice is the relationship 
between humans and the natural world and the 
connections they have with the environment. 

Perhaps the most pertinent issue presented IS 
that we cannot reasonably expect to make it a 

righteous, morally correct world simply by addressing 
environmental justice. The point is raised that it is 
anthropocentric to only consider the distribution of 
good and bad environments between people. What 
about other organisms? Don't they have rights to a 
healthy environment? In discussing this anthro-
pocentric view the authors state that "public and 
private choices are today made within too narrow a 
band of the ethical spectrum" meaning that we need 
to expand our minds and have a greater sense of 
public morality to gain a complete account of our 
relationship with the environment. The critical 
question asked by the authors is whether we have 
to choose between "individualism with its potential for 
freedom and choice" or an "ecologically enlarged conception 
of the self in which we feel connected with and in some 
sense accountable to the whole of the natural world". 

A final theme of the paper discusses the need to 
increase public awareness about the environmental 
wealth our planet provides. By reducing greed and 
increasing personal ethic we begin to achieve 
environmental and ecological justice. There are three 
levels on which this enlargement can take place: The 
first involves the need to be inclusive of the natural 
world. The second suggests that the principles of 
justice need to be well defined. The third focuses on 
political justice in a global society. 

All organisms live in an unfair environment. 
However, most people seem unwilling, or are 
unaware of the need to change their habits to correct 
this unfairness. One Earth: Social and Environmental 
justice is a must read for everyone to expand their 
minds on the lack of justice in this world. 

The Tela papers are being distributed free 
to universities and are available on line at www. 
acfonline.org.au/publications/telalintro/htm 

'School of Natural Sciences. Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia. Australia 6027.