Growing up in an Environmental Justice Context: Children's Environmental Concerns

Abstract

It is well known that children are disproportionately vulnerable to the negative physical and mental impacts of environmental pollutants; however few studies have illuminated the environmental concerns of children who are growing up in an environmental justice context. Through 20 child-drawn maps and semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research aimed to voice the environmental concerns and awareness of minority and socio-economically disadvantaged children (ages ten to twelve) living within an urban environmental justice setting. The informants expressed a multitude of concerns about their neighborhood environment, especially revolving around violent strangers and gang activity. Children also shared fear, sadness, and disgust regarding proximate pollution, revealing a common theme of anxiety about the current state of the natural environment. These findings shed light on how growing up in environmentally degraded conditions impact children's awareness of environmental problems and add to the scholarly debate about whether wealth is a prerequisite for environmental concern.