The role of non-state actors in promoting environmental justice: A comparative study of Kenya and South Africa

With academic and institutional interest in environmental justice growing, the forthcoming efforts in this field warrant thorough analysis of the interactions between state and non-state actors. This article provides an empirical response to more critical views placing skepticism on the efficacy of achieving environmental justice through the official framework of the state and advocate for the pursuit of environmental justice “beyond” the state’s designated institutions, namely various non-state actors (NSAs), such as non-governmental organizations and community based organizations. What role do NSAs have in the realization of environmental justice? This paper will provide a comparative case study to analyze this question along three key factors: the degree of social and economic capital among NSAs, the outcomes for NSAs that the alignment of the state with international environmental institutions produces, and state-capital hegemony, in Kenya and South Africa. Both nations have adopted basic environmental justice policies and have hosted sustained environmental grassroots movements working towards environmental justice objectives, with Kenya appearing to have achieved a greater legacy of success in bringing environmental justice movements to fruition. The findings reveal the crucial impacts of non-state actors’ social and economic capital as well as state-capital hegemony on the success of environmental justice movements. The article also problematizes the relationship between environmental justice and sustainable development models which prioritize economic growth.