Environmental justice and attachment to place: Australian cases

Australia illustrates a particular arena of environmental justice (EJ) theorizing that warrants closer scrutiny and development - the relationship between cultural identity, place attachment, environmental policy, and the experience of injustice. In this chapter we review the relationship between this strong place identification and claims of environmental (in)justice. While historically not a major organizing principle or movement, applications and uses of EJ discourse in the Australian context are increasing. We begin by defining and arguing for the centrality of place attachment to conceptions of environmental justice. We then discuss three very different Australian cases where this approach is articulated: Aboriginal Australians' relationship to Country; coal and gas mining; and a fire event that brings together concerns about climate change and air pollution.