"Environmental Justice Index at the State and Local Level

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Find out how the Environmental Justice Index (EJI) can provide a valuable national perspective to local or regional environmental justice challenges. Explore the EJI today at eji.cdc.gov.

Environmental justice is achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and has equal access to the decision-making process to function in a healthy environment. The EJI helps public health officials identify and prioritize communities most at risk for the health impacts of environmental burden. The EJI is the first national, place-based tool designed to measure the cumulative impacts of environmental burdens through the lens of human health and health equity.

This document outlines examples of how public health officials and others have used the EJI, offers a supplemental approach to identifying and mapping areas most at risk for environmental health impacts, and provides definitions for three environmental justice tools. This information is intended to help you to use the EJI to promote environmental justice and health equity at the state and local level.

EJI Uses

The EJI can be used to

• identify and prioritize areas that may require special attention or additional action in order to improve health and health equity,
• educate and inform the public about the environmental burdens in their community to inspire and empower community-driven action,
• analyze the unique, local factors driving cumulative impacts on health to inform policy and decision-making, and
• establish meaningful goals and measure progress towards environmental justice and health equity.

The EJI may also serve as a framework to develop new tools in states where environmental justice mapping and screening tools have yet to be developed..."
Environmental Justice Index