Environmental justice and the cleanup of Vieques

The struggle to expel the Navy from Vieques has been one of the few issues that unified Puerto Ricans of all political perspectives. Most observ e r s p o rtrayed the protest as a stru ggle for human rights or cultural nationalism. This essay argues that, in addition, it can be seen as a struggle for environmental justice. While this was partly true during the struggle s first stage, which ended in May 2003, this is especially true in analyzing the seco n d stage, for decontamination and development. Fi n a lly, adopting an environmental j u s t i ce fr a m ewo r k should not be seen as minimizing or localizing the s i g n i f i c a n ce of mobilization. Ra t h e r, contrary to some criticisms, environmental justice analyses can highlight injustices at the systemic level.