Intersectional Environmentalism: A Crash Course
By: Back To Zero
Tags: Social Justice, Activism, Climate Justice, Intersectionality, Environmentalism

Photo by Mate the label via Instagram

Leah Thomas, or @greengirlleah on Instagram, defines Intersectional Environmentalism really comprehensively:

“This is an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected. It brings injustices done to the most vulnerable communities, and the earth, to the forefront and does not minimize or silence social inequality. Intersectional Environmentalism advocates for justice for people + the planet.”

S. Ryder describes Intersectional Environmentalism as a bridge between Feminist & Gender Studies and Environmental studies. This theory stems from the term Intersectionality, first defined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1991 which says that based on various identity characteristics, individuals may be oppressed and differently impacted by “a combination of interconnected social structures”. These structures are broken down into many categories, such as but not limited to, Race, Gender, Sexuality, Ability, and Class.

Intersectionality has been thrown around a lot lately, especially in the last

5–8 years, so we thought it would be useful to offer an accessible definition.

Intersectionality is often used as a lens to look at particular structures or social problems in our world. So, when you’re asking yourself if something is Intersectional, it comes down to asking yourself if what you’re examining utilizes a broad-spectrum worldview about the diverse experiences of different kinds of people.

You may be asking yourself: What’s a Worldview? Simply put, it’s the way you as an individual, develop your perspective on the world based on your lived experiences and the environments in which you grew up. It also has to do with the different ideas you were and are exposed to over the course of your life.

Still not so sure? Here’s a quirky example: making sandwiches. Even within the United States, attitudes and ideas about what makes a good sandwich are really different. Take New York and Louisiana — we’re talking about pastrami on rye vs. a po boy.

These are two very different takes on a sandwich, shaped by the accessibility of different ingredients and spices, cultures around food, and taste preferences. Similar to the idea of a worldview on the human relationship to the planet, this sandwich example simplifies and explains how, though we may be talking about the same concept (i.e., a sandwich), the attitudes and perceptions of that concept will differ on account of their influences and histories.

Knowing this definition is important because it will allow you to understand the fact that, especially in North America (i.e., Canada and the United States), due to the nature of how many people came to be on these lands, the population has developed an overwhelmingly Eurocentric and often Whitecentric worldview. Because of the racial hierarchy that has been established through colonialism, there is overwhelming power and privilege bias toward white and white-passing people.

Photo by BacktoZero

Photo by BacktoZero

You may have heard points like this in conversations about White Privilege. This is a term that explains how Whiteness as a concept and a construct privileges people who fall into this social category.

White Privilege doesn’t mean that white people don’t experience struggle or misfortune, but it does mean that white people are not disadvantaged by their skin colour.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Lots of definitions, but stay with us here.