CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE 2022 · Vol. 2022, Issue 1

Environmental justice in road transport infrastructure in Global South: A critical review

Dillip Kumar Das and Ayodeji Olatunji Aiyetan

Keywords: Construction, environmental justice, EIA, Global South, road transport infrastructure

Abstract

Environmental Justice (EJ) is argued to be undermined in road infrastructure development in Global South, although Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and environmental clearance have been made. So, using the context of the Global South, the study explored how and why EJ is relevant, what strategic and policy interventions have been suggested or implemented, and how it can be improved in road infrastructure development. The study was conducted through a critical review of the literature and discourse analyses. Findings suggested that all he three types of EJ (distributional, procedural and interactional) have been largely undermined in road infrastructure development in Global South. Strategic and policy measures are limited to the conduct of EIA and environmental clearance. In the local contexts, people’s participation and recognition have been undermined. The paper argued that a holistic approach with more objective and clear legal provisions, expansion of the purview of EIA by the inclusion of local contexts and reinforcing the participation of people and consideration for context-specific socio-political aspects that include recognising people's needs, preferences and values are likely to improve EJ in road infrastructure development in Global South.