“Costs of environmental degradation are borne disproportionately by the poor and the powerless. In an attempt to right this wrong, Edwardo Lao Rhodes examines the issue of environmental justice as a public policy concern. Rhodes explains why awareness of social justice should be an important consideration in thinking about environmental impact. He offers recommendations, derived from a complex case of hazardous waste disposal, for sharing the burden of risk.”

“This book examines environmental justice as a public policy concern and suggests a new methodology for evaluating environmental justice problems. It makes the case that race and class were not a major concern of environmental policy until the 1990s. The author looks at public policy concerns and methodological approaches to the issues, and he discusses a case of hazardous waste disposal, which leads to policy recommendations for sharing risk.”

“In this excellent and balanced examination of the growth and future of the environmental justice movement, Rhodes (Indiana Univ. School of Public and Environmental Affairs) examines the background against which environmental justice issues are viewed. The roots of the environmental movement were in wilderness preservation, and even today, some environmental groups resist concerning themselves with what they regard as social policies and urban problems. Minorities had more pressing priorities. But now, a paradigm shift is occurring and the pivotal pioneering voices, such as Robert Bullard's, are being heard. Diversity in both membership and leadership of environmental groups is slowly increasing. Access to information about toxic waste facilities has improved, while the increase in pollution is now more visible. This book argues that the time has come when all the various factors have reached a critical mass. In the future, agencies must more explicitly address in their policies how actions and decisions about the environment will differentially affect increasingly segmented populations. The myth that minorities do not care about the environment is disappearing as communities become empowered by awareness and inclusion in decision-making processes. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels.July 2003”
 — S. E. Wiegand, Saint Mary's College