Introduction
Funded by the Environment Agency, the study investigated environmental justice in South Yorkshire.
Background and context
Social deprivation has long been an area of study in the UK identifying which groups of people lack money, opportunities or resources compared with the general population. Similarly there has been interest in environmental quality and particularly in poor environments.
These two strands have come together under the heading of environmental justice - a field of study that examines which population groups experience poor environments.
There has been considerable interest in environmental justice from a range of government departments and agencies in the last five years. It has appeared in a range of Government Sustainable Development Strategies, Sustainable Development Commission work and Social Exclusion Unit publications as well as a host of other government agencies, quangos and NGOs.
Summary of project research
Populations in South Yorkshire were classified using the Index of Multiple Deprivation at the individual household level. The most deprived population was classified as that living in the lowest ten per cent of areas nationally.
Using a Geographical Information System, the populations living near to a range of environmental factors were analysed. Statistics on rural urban populations, clustering of sites and the multiple impact of different environmental factors were also included.
Key findings:
The most deprived populations in South Yorkshire are:- two to three times more likely to be living near to a waste or landfill site than the rest of the population (see Figure 1)
- most likely to be living next to multiple waste sites
- most likely to be living near to non active landfill sites
- most likely to be living near to a Pollution Inventory site (i.e. a site regulated by the Environment Agency where we collect information on releases of pollutants and waste transfer) with emissions to air
- where ambient air quality (Nitrogen dioxide and particulates PM10) is poorest disproportionately represented in the areas with the very worst air quality (see Figure 2) and of that population, at least 11,000 of them are children
- appear more likely to be situated on a floodplain, but the evidence base is weak in this particular part of the study
- two to three times more likely to be living near to a Local Nature Reserve than the rest of the population
- the most likely to be living near to woodlands
Project impact
The outputs of the project allow South Yorkshire to be mapped for environmental inequalities at the most detailed level possible, and as such, hotspots or locations for area based interventions can be identified.
The outcomes of this project provide an evidence base for the Environment Agency that enable it to deliver certain aspects of its corporate strategy - 'Creating a Better Place', particularly those relating to Better Quality of Life issues.
As it details the level of
environmental inequalities experienced by different groups in South Yorkshire, the outputs of
the project could also be used to initiate a dialogue with local communities in the area about the quality of their environment. The project therefore also supports Defra’s ‘Improving Poor
Environment programme’.
This work should also be of interest to local authorities, environmental organisations,
regeneration agencies and the voluntary sector who are engaging with agendas of sustainable
development, social inclusion, health and ‘environmental justice’.
Project reports and publications
Fairburn, Jon, Butler, Bridget and Smith, Graham (2009) Environmental justice in South Yorkshire: locating social deprivation and poor environments using multiple indicators. Local Environment, Vol. 14, 139–154.
Fairburn J and Smith G (2008) Environmental Justice in South Yorkshire: Working towards a better quality of life. Environment Agency Publications. Summary report can be downloaded here.