The flows of energy and materials in the world economy have never been so large as today. This article argues that this increased social metabolism is causing more and more conflicts on resource extraction and waste disposal. This gives rise to a movement for environmental justice around the world. The words "environmental justice" were first used in the United States in the early 1980s for local complaints against "environmental racism", i.e. the disproportionate pollution burdens in areas primarily inhabited by disadvantaged ethic groups but the term is now applied to spontaneous movements and EJOs anywhere in the world (and to the networks or coalitions they form across borders) resisting extractive industries and complaining against pollution and climate change... See separate PDF for full abstract.