기술적·경제적 결정이 야기한 전 지구적 수준의 환경적 위험은 인류의 생존 자체를 위협하는 보편적 위기지만, 비가시성과 불확실성으로 인해 국가, 인종, 계급을 초월하여 무차별하게 존재함으로써 사회적인 약자와 생물학적인 약자가 사회적 강자와 생물학적 강자에 비해 더 많은 환경 피해를 받을 가능성이 높다. 본 연구에서는 환경정의에 관한 주요 연구쟁점에 대한 논의와 함께, 연구의 흐름을 개관하고 각 시기별 특성을 분석한다. 기존의 연구들 중 실증적인 연구들을 중심으로 살펴봄으로써 담론에 치우치는 듯한 우려가 있는 우리나라의 환경정의 연구의 지평을 넓히는 데 일조하고자 한다. 환경정의는 인종, 계급 또는 여타 사회·경제적 지위의 차이에 관계없이 깨끗한 환경에 대해 동등한 접근성과 발생할지 모르는 환경위험으로부터 동등한 보호를 받는 상태를 말하며, 또한 인종이나 사회적 지위에 관계없이 모든 사람들이 환경법 아래에서 동등한 보호를 받고, 사회에서 일어나는 환경결정 과정에 참여할 권리를 갖는다는 원칙이다. 환경정의 연구의 근본적인 질문은 “환경위험이 다른 인종, 사회경제적 집단들간에 공평한가?”이다. 연구의 실행적 질문은 환경위험과 유해시설의 분포에 인종적·소득계층적 불평등의 증거가 있는지, 만약 있다면 유해시설 입지 및 유해물질 배출의 변이를 통계적으로 설명할 수 있는 비인종적인 다른 요인들이 있는지 여부이다. 환경정의에 관한 논쟁을 살펴보면 환경정의 주창자들은 환경불평등에 대한 강력하면서도 충분한 증거가 있으며 환경인종주의가 그 원인이라고 믿고 있었던 반면, 과학적 관점은 인과관계를 증명할 데이터가 부족하며 환경정의의 목표는 환경보건위험을 찾아내고 평가하며 비교하고 관리하는 데에 있다는 입장을 견지한 데에 기인한다. 환경정의 연구 흐름을 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 실증주의 연구에서 참여적 연구와 결합된 연구로, 둘째, 단순한 차별·인종모델에서 도시구조, 토지이용, 교외화 등 여러 부문의 요인을 고려한 다학제적인 관점의 연구로, 셋째, 환경유해물질 시설의 인접성에 근거한 패러다임에서 환경오염에의 노출 및 환경오염의 위험에 근거한 연구로, 넷째, 정적인 분석에서 장기관찰, 역사적 접근, 지역사회의 변화 등 동적인 분석과 결합된 연구로 연구의 중심이 이동되고 있다.
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