Climate Justice

Environmental Justice (interchangeable with Climate Justice): fair treatment of all people with plans revolving around BIPOC people and needs

• Climate change discusses the physical and scientific attributes, causes, and effects of a warming planet, whereas climate justice looks at how different groups are affected depending on their social class, religion, ethnicity, race, or identity. It looks at not only the physical facts surrounding this crisis, but also at the moral and ethnic nuances.

Climate Gentrification: neighborhoods traditionally overlooked by wealthy people become more attractive—and expensive—because they are less susceptible to climate threats. This is related to redlining, forcing people of color into certain areas, and historically being pushed into areas with climate threats (including flooding, more hurricanes, smog from factories, etc.).

Environmental Racism:

• Black and brown communities don't have resources to get water and are disproportionately affected by environmental injustice

  • Results of systemic racism; everything is connected (redlining → climate injustice)

    • Examples:

      1. The water crisis in Flint, MI

      2. Winter storms in TX; Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities hit hardest, struggling to regroup

• “Race is the number one indicator for the placement of toxic facilities in this country” (NAACP)

• Youth v. Gov: Youth sued the government for causing the climate crisis and infringing on constitutional rights through climate injustices

• Climate change/justice is barely covered in mainstream media

• The world is not talking about it, but the majority are concerned (not enough discussion about climate justice although most people are concerned)

• “Just Transition”: shifting the way society works, so it works for everyone (in relation to this; climate-based), focusing on justice (in this case, climate justice) for disenfranchised communities, especially for communities of color. It is making sure where we are going and how we get there are both just.

• Without environmental justice, there are: food deserts and air + water pollution