Resource justice


Resource justice is a term in environmentalism and in environmental ethics. It combines elements of distributive justice and environmental justice and is based on the observation that many countries rich in natural resources such as minerals and other raw materials nevertheless experience high levels of poverty. This resource curse is one of the main ethical reasons to demand resource justice, that is, a globally fair distribution of all natural resources.

Factors leading to resource injustice

The term resource justice as a subcategory of distributive justice was first developed following the repeated observation that natural resources that, supposedly, are a blessing for local populations, turn out to be a curse. This can manifest itself in a number of ways – and for a number of reasons, some of which occur in isolation but more often arise together. Some examples are:
and external support in order to empower "communities affected by oil, gas, and mining operations" so that they themselves are able to determine how local resources are being used. In addition, mechanisms have to be developed to make sure that finite resources are distributed in an equitable way so that poor nations' right to development is not denied.
The memorandum Resource Politics for a Fair Future, published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation lists three criteria for a "fair and sustainable Resource Politics", namely: