Spotlight on Climate Justice
Drawing on a long history of environmental justice organizing led by BIPOC, immigrant, and low-income communities, and an even longer history of Indigenous land stewardship practices grounded in relationships and reciprocity, the climate justice movement is repairing inequities and cultivating community-led solutions to the climate crisis. This LISC Institute Spotlight highlights climate justice resources for community development practitioners.
As recognition of the need for immediate, drastic steps to avert irreversible climate catastrophe grows, so too has recognition that the effects of climate change are not felt equally. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), immigrant, and low-income communities are hit first and worst by increasingly severe weather events, displacement, and job loss accelerated by climate change. These devastating impacts are fueled by centuries of environmental racism and other discriminatory policies, and both reflect and reinforce social, economic, and public health inequities. Through the pandemic, for example, Black and Latinx neighborhoods that were redlined and sited for environmental disamenities had higher rates of preexisting health conditions that lead to increased risk of severe COVID cases and deaths. At the same time, communities most impacted by climate change often hold proportionately less responsibility for emissions that drive it, particularly in the Global South.
Drawing on a long history of environmental justice organizing led by BIPOC, immigrant, and low-income communities, and an even longer history of Indigenous land stewardship practices grounded in relationships and reciprocity, the climate justice movement is advancing initiatives to repair these inequities and cultivate community-led solutions to the climate crisis. Climate justice encompasses a wide range of strategies at the local, state, and national levels, from community-led disaster recovery and resilience planning to a just transition to green jobs to longer-term adaptation and mitigation measures like community ownership of renewable energy and regenerative agriculture, and non-extractive finance and investments to support these projects. Central to all of these approaches is shifting power and centering the leadership and vision of those most impacted by climate change. As new federal investments in infrastructure and environmental justice initiatives begin to flow to state and local governments, it is critical to ensure these resources support meaningful community leadership and ownership, and climate interventions grounded in regeneration rather than extraction.
This Spotlight highlights climate justice resources for community development practitioners. Our roundup includes a feature on climate solutions work across the LISC network, frameworks and policy tools for a just transition to a regenerative economy, and a playbook to guide new federal infrastructure investments to ensure community benefits. We’ve also included a LISC report on the role of community organizations in responding to natural disasters, and research on creating equitable green jobs, green financing strategies, toolkits for green and healthy building management, and essays uplifting the work of grassroots environmental justice organizations, designing for climate justice, community owned-and led efforts for energy justice, Indigenous frameworks for climate sovereignty and healing, and building equity in environmental organizations. You’ll also find resources from the Climate Justice Alliance and a podcast library from Climate One.
Feature
The LISC Institute spoke with LISC Boston, Greater Newark, Phoenix, Rural LISC, and Western New York about community action to mitigate climate-related challenges that are impacting people now, prepare for future impacts, and ensure community leadership in a just transition to a green future.
In Practice
This guide from United Frontline Table offers community groups, advocates, and policymakers a framework and local, state, and federal policy solutions for a just transition to a regenerative economy, drawn from frontline communities and grassroots networks and alliances focused on climate justice.
Emerald Cities Collaborative has started releasing playbooks to guide new federal infrastructure investments to ensure community benefits, beginning with summary documents and an Energy Justice Playbook, with additional playbooks to be published.
A report from WE ACT for Environmental Justice and the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum draws from lessons learned from four organizations' green jobs programs and offers policy and best practices to bring underrepresented workers into the renewable energy industry.
LISC Boston's Green Homes program has a collection of resources on meeting resilience needs of multifamily rental housing, community resilience planning, and green and healthy property management.
A white paper from LISC Research and Evaluation examines the role of community organizations in responding to increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, which are having a disproportionately harsh impact on underserved communities, and puts forward policy recommendations to shore up equitable recovery and resilience.
An Urban Institute report highlights the critical role parks and green spaces play in community health and well-being. Inequitable access to these spaces remains a challenge, and their benefits for communities disproportionately facing the adverse impacts of climate change are clear.
What We're Reading
Indian Country Today reports on how dozens of tribes are harnessing renewable energy to combat climate change and promote energy democracy, generate revenue, create jobs, and reduce utility costs.
Nonprofit Quarterly's climate justice issue lifts up designing for climate justice, community owned-and led efforts for energy justice, Indigenous frameworks for climate sovereignty and healing, and building equity in environmental organizations.
The New York Times reports on new research finding that redlined neighborhoods have higher levels of harmful air pollution, highlighting how racially discriminatory policies continue to drive environmental injustices across the country.
An ebook from Next City highlights financing strategies for clean energy capital and infrastructure, including how financial institutions are financing projects that advance environmental justice.
This excerpt from The World We Need, a new collection of essays celebrating grassroots environmental justice groups, tells the story of UPROSE, which has worked for sustainability and resilience in Brooklyn, New York since 1966.
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies finds that 40% of rental homes are located in areas that face significant threat from environmental hazards, and recommends local and federal investments to rebuild rental homes and adapt them to the increasing range and severety of hazards exacerbated by climate change.
Resource Libraries
Check out the Climate Justice Alliance's Resources page for reports, toolkits, videos, and podcasts focused on different components of climate justice, including energy democracy, just transition, community reinvestment, and food sovereignty.
Climate One's weekly podcast and public radio program engages organizers, advocates, and policymakers in conversations about a variety of topics related to the climate crisis.
For additional reading, visit the LISC Resource Library