Physical environment: environmental justice
Environmental justice relates to the fair distribution of environmental factors in the population. Since many factors are not fairly distributed, the environment can contribute to health inequalities. The Greenspace and Maintenance data sections within these pages include relevant data on the distribution of these factors by deprivation.
Fairburn et al. provided a detailed analysis of environmental justice in Scotland in their 2005 report entitled "Investigating Environmental Justice in Scotland: Links Between Measures Of Environmental Quality And Social Deprivation" (4.2 MB). It was commissioned by Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER). The study found a strong correlation between deprivation and industrial pollution, derelict land and river water quality; although the relationship between deprivation and landfills, quarries and open cast sites was less clear.
WHO provide data (at a United Kingdom level) on the magnitude and trends of environmental health inequalities across Europe in their Environmental health inequalities in Europe: second assessment report.
Please note: If you require the most up-to-date data available, please check the data sources directly as new data may have been published since these data pages were last updated. Although we endeavour to ensure that the data pages are kept up-to-date, there may be a time lag between new data being published and the relevant ScotPHO web pages being updated.
