# Environmental Justice Screening Tools **Domain:** Environmental Justice, Policy, Data Science **Doc Type:** Concept Node **Classification:** Infrastructure Concept **Maturity:** Foundational **Related:** [[EJSCREEN]], [[Environmental Justice]], [[Demographic Screening Layers]], [[Data Platforms]] --- ## Definition **Software platforms, indices, or assessment frameworks that spatially integrate demographic, environmental, and health data to identify communities disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards**. Tools enable targeting of resources or regulations to vulnerable populations. --- ## General Context Environmental justice screening tools (EJSCREEN, CalEnviroScreen, etc.) emerged from research documenting that marginalized communities bear disproportionate pollution burdens. Tools spatialize this knowledge, enabling policy targeting. --- ## Governance Context See [[articles/climate-justice-meritocracy|How Reparative Justice Became Meritocracy, and Public Weather Data Became Private Risk Scores]] on how EJ screening tools transitioned from identifying vulnerable populations to creating climate meritocracy categories. --- ## Key Insight Tools designed for resource allocation can become surveillance systems. A tool that identifies vulnerable communities for protection can be repurposed to identify populations for control. --- ## See Also [[Governance]], [[Data Infrastructure]], [[Equity Frameworks]]