Natural Assets: Democratizing Environmental Ownership

Low-income communities frequently suffer from a lack of access to, or lack of control over, the natural resources that surround them. In many cases, their local environment has been degraded by years of resource extraction and pollution by distant corporations or government agencies. In such settings, initiatives that build natural assets in the hands of the poor can play and important role in poverty fighting efforts. Drawing on evidence from across the United States, Natural Assets demonstrates that safeguarding the environment and improving the well-being of the poor can be mutually reinforcing goals.