ABSTRACT
One key intuition informs this essay, namely, that justice has been, and, by and large still is, focused on the social, political and economic relations that hold between human beings—something that environmentalists would link with anthropocentrism—whereas environmental theory has been critical of the central role of human beings qua nature. If justice (in theory and practice) is tied closely to an anthropocentric position, then it cannot rest easily with environmental theory. Before justice can take effect with regard to nature, the human/nature relation needs to be worked out at another level. Justice, as yet, has little or nothing to say on nature. To some this contention may be startlingly obvious, to others it may be mildly therapeutic. To avoid any misunderstanding, this paper neither criticises present justice theory, nor promotes environmental theory. It is not a partisan essay. Rather, it is concerned, from a sceptical standpoint, to suggest that the notion of environmental justice may be a misnomer. This essay will, first, briefly review the question whether there is any immediate reason for environmental theory to be concerned with justice; second, it will present an outline of the main elements of environmental theory; it will then turn to the central question as to what theoretical impediments there are within justice theory in dealing with environmental issues.
