1. When the bishops established the Environmental Justice Program, they explicitly mandated a broad policy framework encompassing four priority areas including:
2. environmental justice: defined as the strong link between social justice and environmental protection emphasizing the needs of the poor;
3. sustainable development: with an emphasis on social and economic development that not only protects the sustainability of natural resources but promotes a just distribution of these resources today and for future generations;
4. worker protection: insisting that workers' needs should not be sacrificed at the expense of environmental protection or vice versa; and
5. the “commons”: defined as protecting vital global shared resources such as the oceans, land, water and fisheries.

 

Priority Issues and Policy Focus

Within the policy framework recommended by the bishops, EJP, under the supervision of the Department of Social Development and World Peace, promotes policies and legislation that (click on the link to see more):

1. Protect the Poor: we advocate for just solutions to the disproportionate burdens of environmental degradation borne by the poor and people of color. This includes urban revitalization efforts like Brownfields and the protection of low-income neighborhoods from toxic hazards.
2. Environmental Health and Safety: protecting the public, workers, and especially vulnerable populations (i.e. the elderly, children -- born and unborn, workers in chemical intensive industries, the ill, etc.) from environmental harm is an essential part of our policy focus. Currently, EJP — in cooperation with the Domestic Policy Office and other national Catholic organizations — is focusing on children's environmental health.