Climate Change
Climate Justice and Environmental Racism
Climate justice begins with the recognition that the impacts of climate change fall most harshly on poor and marginalized people, the ones least responsible for their creation. In the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune. And, as is always the case, the poor and vulnerable are the first to suffer and the worst hit.” Source: www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/climate-justice/
From the NAACP: "Environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, has a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low income communities in the United States and around the world....Toxic facilities, like coal fired power plants and incinerators, emit mercury, arsenic, lead, and other contaminants into the water, food, and lungs of communities. Many of these same facilities also emit carbon dioxide and methane – the #1 and #2 drivers of climate change. At the same time not all are equally impacted. For example, race – even more than class – is the number one indicator for the placement of toxic facilities in this country. And communities of color and low income communities are often the hardest hit by climate change." Source: www.naacp.org/issues/environmental-justice/
Resources:
- Environmental and Climate JusticeFrom the NAACP
- Climate JusticeFrom Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Equity in PCC’s 2021 Climate Action Planning ProcessPCC's Climate Action Plan reflects PCC’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice across the college and within the communities it serves.
- The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, MappedNew data shared with The New York Times reveals stark disparities in how different U.S. households contribute to climate change. Use the interactive map to see data for the Portland metro area.
- Growing a more equitable urban forest: Portland’s citywide tree planting strategyReport from Portland Parks & Recreation showing that "The current distribution of trees is uneven and is directly linked to income." Dec. 2018
- In a First, Rich Countries Agree to Pay for Climate Damages in Poor NationsNew York Times article about the COP 27 agreement, Nov. 2022
- Indigenous Narratives on Climate Change: InterviewsIndigenous Americans speak out about climate chaos. Curated by the Institute of American Indian Arts Library.
- Population Specific Summaries: Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United StatesClimate change impact and risk analysis reports on different populations, from the EPA.
- "Hotter, Drier, Hungrier: How Global Warming Punishes the World’s Poorest"From the New York Times, March 12, 2018
- Pacific Northwest Just Futures Institute for Racial and Climate JusticeThe Center for Environmental Futures (CEF) is an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students that reflects a longstanding investment in environmentalism and social justice at the University of Oregon and in the larger Eugene community.
- Tribal Climate Change ProjectBased at the University of Oregon. "For indigenous peoples, the environmental impacts of climate change and some of the proposed solutions threaten ways of life, subsistence, lands rights, future growth, cultural survivability, and financial resources."
- Changing Climate, Changing MigrationPodcast from the Migration Policy Institute. Includes "Climate Migration 101"
- People of Color Experience Climate Grief More Deeply Than White PeopleBy Nylah Burton, in Vice, May 2020
- What is 'Climate Justice'?From Yale Climate Connections
- Climate Anxiety Is an Overwhelmingly White PhenomenonBy Sarah Jaquette Ray, published in Scientific American, 2021.
- Which racial/ethnic groups care most about climate change?From Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 2020.
- Richest 1% account for more carbon emissions than poorest 66%, report saysFrom The Guardian, Nov. 19, 2023
- "The world’s top 1% of emitters produce over 1000 times more CO2 than the bottom 1%"From the IEA International Energy Agency, Feb. 2023
- Who supports climate justice in the U.S.?2023 report from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
- 9 Climate Activists of Color You Should KnowFrom TeenVogue
What Climate Justice Means and Why We Should Care by Call Number: Rock Creek Library 63.7387 C75w 2022Publication Date: 2022
Revolutionary Power : an activist's guide to the energy transition by Call Number: Rock Creek Library 333.79 B35r 2021Publication Date: 2021
As Long As Grass Grows : the indigenous fight for environmental justice from colonization to Standing Rock by Call Number: Southeast and Sylvania 970.004/97 and ebook
Climate Justice : hope, resilience, and the fight for a sustainable future by Call Number: Rock Creek Main Collection 363.7 R63c 2018Publication Date: 2018-09-04
Intersectional Climate Justice, from PCC Sylvania Multicultural Center
Virtual climate justice workshop led by the Sylvania Multicultural Center. (16 minutes)
- COP26 Report Back w/Makerusa Porotesano (90 minutes)PCC Multicultural Center Coordinator Makerusa Porotesano reports his experiences attending the COP26 2021 conference in Glasgow, Scotland as part of the Pacific Climate Warriors