Conflict over the extraction of coal and gas resources has rapidly escalated in communities throughout the world. Using an environmental justice lens, this multidisciplinary book explores cases of land use conflict through the lived experiences of communities grappling with such disputes.

Drawing on theories of justice and fairness in environmental decision making, it demonstrates how such land use conflicts concerning resource use can become entrenched social problems, resistant to policy and legal intervention. The author presents three case studies from New South Wales in Australia and Pennsylvania in the US of conflict concerning coal, coal gas and shale gas development. It shows how conflict has escalated in each case, exploring access to justice in land use decision making processes from the perspective of the communities at the heart of these disputes. Weaknesses in contemporary policy and regulatory frameworks, including ineffective opportunities for public participation and a lack of community recognition in land use decision making processes, are explored.

The book concludes with an examination of possible procedural and institutional reforms to improve access to environmental justice and better manage cases of land use conflict. Overall, the volume links the philosophies of environmental justice with rich case study findings, offering readers further insight into both the theory and practice of land use decision making.

About the Author

Amanda Kennedy is an Associate Professor and the Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law at the University of New England, Australia.

Reviews

"Amanda Kennedy, in her book "Environmental Justice and Land use Conflict....", by using an environment justice lens, has drawn our attention towards various social imbalances, involving negative impacts of environmental degradations, that have crept in around major mineral and gas extraction projects and impacted the surrounding communities. She has given minute details of the issues involved in various case studies from Australia and US, involving major coal, coal gas and shale projects, where land use conflicts and environmental degradation concerns have emerged." Amanda Kennedy, Environmental Justice and Land Use Conflict, Routledge

Book Information
ISBN 9780367335311
Author Amanda Kennedy
Format Paperback
Page Count 222
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 440g