ABSTRACT
Social science research on environmental justice (EJ) demonstrates that environmental racism and injustice are structural problems: zoning laws, mortgage lending practices, public hearing procedures, and other institutional arrangements create inequity both in the distribution of environmental harms and in communities' ability to advocate for themselves. Research in the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) adds to our understanding of the structural nature of environmental injustice by showing how scientific knowledge production practices, technological infrastructures, and the authority afforded to experts all help create an uneven terrain for diverse communities seeking a healthy, safe environment. At the same time, STS scholarship identifies alternatives to mainstream practices, including community-based science and scientist-activism, that stand to further environmental justice. This chapter introduces fundamental concepts in STS and shows how this theoretical lens furthers our understanding of both the structures of environmental injustice and the potential for their transformation.
