A Study of Environmental Organizations in Puerto Rico Advocating for Social and Environmental Justice

Clara E. Rodriguez () and Carmen Collins
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Clara E. Rodriguez: Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, New York, NY 10023, USA
Carmen Collins: Department of Mass Communication, College of Professional Studies, St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439, USA

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-11

Abstract: After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, we wanted to determine how the islanders viewed environmental organizations as part of an effort to understand the relationships between attitudes, institutions, and environmental and social justice issues. As a category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Maria was one of the strongest to hit Puerto Rico. Yet, the US mainstream media coverage of this and other environmental issues was lacking. From a total of 90 environmental organizations in Puerto Rico, we surveyed 19 that were active in the southwest of the island. We asked: (1) How do local people view environmental and social justice issues and (2) given their organizations’ efforts to deal with these issues, what are their successes? To address these questions, we developed a survey in English and Spanish and conducted personal and online interviews with 30 relevant individuals. Their most successful outcomes included: (1) educating and creating greater awareness of environmental issues; (2) introducing environmental changes into their communities; and (3) becoming and surviving as economically sustainable organizations. The results inform our understanding between environmental organizations and social and environmental justice in Puerto Rico and more broadly, because the organizations surveyed are at the center of fighting climate change and achieving environmental justice.

Keywords: environmental organizations; Puerto Rico; island areas; environmental justice; social justice; environmental research; environmental migration; Boquerón; recovery efforts; hurricanes; earthquakes; economic benefits; University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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