What does justice mean to you?

C.R : Justice is a joke; it’s a money and power
game. The more influence you have, the more a 
just system will be in your favor. It means that
whoever is wrong or right in the eyes of the law, of
somebody else’s eyes or dang near in the eyes of
God can and will be seen as innocent with enough
connections, money, time in a subject, or overall
influence. I know it’s a warped way of viewing if 
but I’ve never seen a just society outside of New
Zealand, and that’s a stretch.

J.R :Justice is fairness and the people should get
what they deserve both good and bad. But who
determines what’s fair? That’s the question.  If you
do crime then you should be punished no matter
who you are.

What a young people’s concerns about the 
future?

C.R : I’d say in terms of concerns, it’s the
environmental and economic situation that’s been
going downhill since before your generation. Since
I was a kid I’ve heard that global warming will get
to an irreversible point by 2050 and a large part of
the planet will be practically uninhabitable because

of the heat and the rising sea levels (like most of 
California just being gone and stuff) and the prices 
of housing and living expenses increasing without 
pay increasing equally. 

Most people in my generation are firmly convinced 
that because of large companies like the oil barons 
there won’t be much when we “grow up” and cause 
of student debt or low paying jobs actually buying 
and paying off houses is not going to be available in 
our lifetime, myself included.

J.R : We are all gonna die because the generation
before us are wasting everything. There’s a food
shortage and with no food we die. People are
destroying the environment which is causing
climate change and we die.

What needs to change to address 
environmental injustices, inequities, and 
inequalities?

C.R :The only major way of changing it is by doing
what Europe is working on, which is going green
completely or using safer forms of energy. Have
the multi-billion, dollar energy and automotive
industry put their profits towards renewable energy 
before the decade is over and going away from oil

E N V I R O N M E N T A L  P O L I C Y

Speaking Up and Speaking Out: 
Youth Voices on  
Environmental Justice
A discussion with two young Black men to hear their voices 
and concerns about justice. C.R is a sophomore attending 
an urban university in the Midwest and J.R is a junior 
attending an urban high school in the Midwest

ENGAGE!  |  e n v i r o n m e n ta l  j u st i c e 60



E N V I R O N M E N T A L  P O L I C Y

and coal completely, or by a significantly smaller 
margin then where we are right now.

J.R : Our planet is dying. Our society has to change 
and care about people. It doesn’t seem like it is 
getting better and it will only get better when 
people change.

Closing Comments?

C.R :I guess our generations are very nihilistic but 
for pretty real reasons. Young people are on the 
same page about what is happening and many are 
so unhappy. The standard of leadership has really 
dropped. Our society is morally decaying, our kids 
will have very little to enjoy from communal life. 
We cannot afford the life our parents lived.

J.R :It’s just not getting better. We need good 
leaders to make decisions and to lead people in the 
right way. That doesn’t seem like it’s gonna happen 
any time soon.

Reflecting on These Youth Voices

It’s obvious that our youth are angry about the 
lack of concern in protecting life, liberty, and the 
pursuit of happiness for all people. Rightfully so. 
Adults have made decisions that have caused so 
many problems. If we are going to solve problems 
we must include youth voice and really take the 
time to listen to them and understand their stories, 
hopes, and dreams. We, as adults. must hear youth 
voices and concerns without making judgements or 
assumptions of right or wrong. 

In listening to these two young Black males about 
their concern about environmental injustices I 
realize that we cannot just put a Band-Aid on the 
climate justice problems because the bleeding 

problems are beyond a Band-Aid. We are in a state 
of emergency. In emergency life or death situations, 
we need a tourniquet that is used to apply pressure 
that will stop the bleeding. Therefore, collectively, 
we must put pressure on decision-makers and 
legislators to demand a focus on ensuring the 
wellbeing of all people, the sustainability of the 
land, and equitable access to education, economic 
stability, and meaningful employment, so that all 
people, not just the wealthy elite, will benefit from 
a healthy livelihood. The vicious cycle of living 
hand to mouth must be stopped. This erosion 
of soil and our souls must be stopped. The only 
solution is to embrace life and protect the earth 
with life-sustaining solutions. Collaboration of 
the youth and the elders to share knowledge from 
the past and experiences of the present to create 
policies and practices that protect everyone from 
toxic environments.   

Climate justice is everyone’s responsibility. 
Everyone must have a passion for preserving life 
by reducing our carbon footprints. Together, we 
must find solutions to save our planet and save 
ourselves. We must have a commitment to protect 
future generations. Making preventative healthy 
decisions must start now if we want to create a 
cleaner and healthier environment. Demanding 
leaders who are passionate about changing policies 
and practices to stop abuse, harm, and destruction 
of our environment must become our mission in 
life. The oppression on marginalized, underserved 
populations in a capitalistic economy must stop. 
We must stop focusing on consumption by relying 
on greener solutions that save lives, make changes, 
and ensure hope for a better tomorrow.

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