Supporting Equity and Environmental Justice

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that marginalized communities in the US face disproportionate environmental and health harms, which are exacerbated by systemic racism within federal agencies. The document recommends that agencies make equity-based analyses mandatory for significant policies, strengthen scientific integrity, and dismantle internal racial biases. Specific calls to action include rescinding certain EPA and CEQ rules, increasing the number of health and safety inspectors, and improving the meaningful participation of frontline and tribal communities in rulemaking processes.

• Marginalized communities, including people of color, Indigenous, and low-income populations, suffer disproportionate harm from industrial activities, hazardous workplace conditions, and environmental pollution.
• Systemic racism and a lack of diversity within the federal workforce hinder the ability of agencies to serve underserved communities and fulfill their missions.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends that federal agencies make equity-based analyses mandatory for all significant policy development, strengthening the implementation of Executive Order 12898.
• The document identifies a dangerous trend of reducing the number of health, safety, and compliance inspectors at agencies such as the EPA, OSHA, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service since 2017.
• The EPA is urged to rescind its denial to revoke tolerances for the insecticide chlorpyrifos and to abandon the proposed reclassification of major sources as area sources under the Clean Air Act to prevent increased toxic air pollution.
• Federal agencies should adopt a primary presumption that exposure to cumulative hazards adversely affects health, rather than treating an absence of evidence as an indicator that no harm is occurring.
• The document calls for the appointment of members to independent oversight boards that lack a quorum, specifically the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board.
• To improve data collection on health disparities, agencies should prioritize research on the impacts of climate change, natural disasters (such as hurricanes and wildfires), and the cumulative impacts of pollution from mining and fossil fuel extraction.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2020). Supporting Equity and Environmental Justice. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/supporting-equity-and-environmental-justice.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Supporting Equity and Environmental Justice. 2020. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/supporting-equity-and-environmental-justice.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Supporting Equity and Environmental Justice |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/supporting-equity-and-environmental-justice.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2020supporting, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Supporting Equity and Environmental Justice}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/supporting-equity-and-environmental-justice.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }