Environmental justice: geostatistical analysis of environmental hazards and socioeconomic factors—the case of Italy

Abstract The analysis of environmental issues and the pursuit of environmental justice have gained significant attention in modern times. While progress has been made in understanding environmental impacts and establishing the right to access environmental information, the need to examine environmental inequalities persists. This study aimed to propose a methodology to identify and analyse potential ‘sacrifice zones’ within a region of interest using: (i) Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA), (ii) Municipal Risk Indicators, and (iii) Spatial Autoregressive (SAR) models. The relationship between environmental hazards and social disadvantage in the Campania region of Italy was estimated and the findings of this preliminary study in this area are presented. Our preliminary results: (i) reveal a non-random distribution of contaminated sites and waste management plants (ii) localize the ‘sacrifice zones’ that are predominantly located in municipalities between the provinces of Naples and Caserta, (iii) show a disproportionately burdened with higher environmental risk and greater social vulnerability in some specific areas. Further investigations are required to replicate the results of this study under different environmental conditions. Additionally, enabling more precise identification of affected populations and areas subjected to heightened environmental pressures that would enhance the potential of the proposed approach. The proposed methodology can be adapted to different spatial contexts and data sources.