Climate justice and racial justice are inexorably linked. In the United States and globally, the burden of environmental risks and climate impacts have fallen disproportionately on Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. Ignoring past and present racial inequalities contributes to worsening existing climate-related problems and fails on a moral level. To fully address climate change and its impacts requires examining racial disparities (in health outcomes and economic well-being, for example) and using that understanding to craft solutions that promote the fair and equitable treatment of all people, regardless of race. Pacific RISA is committed to helping create a safe, just, and equitable climate future for Pacific Islanders, and we stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues and communities of color. We join other scientific organizations in condemning racism and challenging systemic racial injustice. Find our statement in solidarity here.

We will continue to update this page with resources relevant to the links between climate and environmental issues and racial justice, and we will do our part to create a culture of inclusivity and equity in Pacific RISA and the climate research world.

Racial Justice & Climate Justice Resource List

Concepts and Definitions

Environmental Racism is the intentional or unintentional racial discrimination in the enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, which leads to the singling-out of minority and low-income communities in ways that adversely impact their lives, health, and livelihoods (for example, lead contamination of drinking water or the dumping of hazardous waste).

Environmental Justice is the “fair and meaningful treatment of all people, regardless of race, income, national origin or color, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies” (EPA 2020: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice).

Climate Justice “links human rights and development to achieve a human-centred approach, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable people and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its impacts equitably and fairly.” (Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice: https://www.mrfcj.org/principles-of-climate-justice/)

Intersectional Environmentalism identifies the interconnections of injustices happening to both marginalized communities and the Earth, and advocates for justice for both people and the planet.

Articles (popular media)

Climate Justice Is The Weapon Against Racism We Need Now
B Heather McTeer Toney

White House Takes Aim at Environmental Racism, but Won’t Mention Race
By Lisa Friedman, Feb 15, 2022

Climate change is a justice issue – these 6 charts show why
By Sonja Klinsky, November 3, 2021

Your city is more segregated than it was in 1990, new study shows
By Adam Mahoney, September 28, 2021

How homeowners of color are threatened by climate change — and climate policy
By Naveena Sadasivam, June 23, 2021

WATCH: A live chat with Alicia Garza and Leah Penniman on climate and racial justice
May 20, 2021

We Must Incorporate Social Justice When Planning for Compound Disasters
By Jackie Kloop, Andrew Kruczkiewicz, and Joshua Fisher, May 12, 2021

Climate change, racism and social justice concerns affecting Gen Z’s physical and mental health
By Asha C. Gilbert, April 21, 2021

Climate Anxiety Is an Overwhelmingly White Phenomenon
By Sarah Jaquette Ray, March 21, 2021

How Racial and Gender Equality are Critical for Building Climate Resilience
By Tatum Lau, D Magazine, January 7, 2021

Building Equitable, Healthy, and Climate Change-Ready Communities in the Wake of COVID-19
By Cathleen Kelly and Mikyla Reta, Center for American Progress, October 8, 2020

Meet the Climate Justice Influencers
By Madeleine Gregory, Sierra Magazine, October 8, 2020

Environmental racism and the struggle for climate justice (Brookings Cafeteria Podcast)
By Christina Kwauk, Marinel Ubaldo, and Justin Worland, Brookings, September 29, 2020

How to Unite the Fight for Racial Equity and Environmental Action
By Marie Beecham, NRDC, September 29, 2020

Black Lives Matter and the Climate (podcast)
By How to Save a Planet, September 24, 2020

Are we missing the point about climate change? (Marketplace broadcast)
Molly Wood and Andie Corban, Sep 24, 2020

Black Voters Know Climate Justice Is Racial Justice
By Charles Ellison, YES! Magazine, September 23, 2020

From activism to action: What’s next for climate and racial justice?
By Claire Elise Thompson, Sep 17, 2020

‘I Can’t Breathe’ And The Inextricable Link Between Climate And Racial Justice
By Leah Thomas, Sept 3, 2020

Pacific’s fight against Covid-19 hamstrung by lack of clean water
By Catherine Wilson, August 28, 2020

How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering
By Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich, August 24, 2020
See also: GroundworkUSA

Want to Be an Environmentalist? Start With Antiracism
By Wanjiku Gatheru, July 30, 2020

John Lewis And His Environmental Legacy
By Marshall Shepherd, July 18, 2020

Ocean Justice: Where Social Equity and the Climate Fight Intersect
By Beth Gardiner, July 16, 2020

We Can’t Solve the Climate Crisis Unless Black Lives Matter
BY Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, July 9, 2020

The Movement for Black Lives and Environmentalists Are Finding Common Ground
By Yessenia Funes, July 7, 2020

The racist suffocation of environmental justice
BY Mathy Stanislaus, July 5, 2020

The Ugly History of Climate Determinism Is Still Evident Today
By Simon Donner, June 24, 2020

Climate Justice is Racial Justice, Racial Justice is Climate Justice
By Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., June 22, 2020

Black Lives Matter: the link between climate change and racial justice
By Adelle Thomas, Rueanna Haynes, June 22, 2020

If We Don’t Solve Racial Injustice, We’ll Never Solve The Climate Crisis
By Nylah Burton, June 19, 2020

Racial Justice Is Climate Justice — and It Can’t Wait
By By Nikayla Jefferson and Leah C. Stokes, June 19, 2020

Facing twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change, refugees will suffer the most
By Larry Luxner, June 19, 2020

Environmental justice means racial justice, say activists
By Nina Lakhani and Jonathan Watts, June 18, 2020

Why ‘Defunding the Police’ Is Also an Environmental Issue
By Geoff Dembicki, June 18, 2020

The Inseparable Link Between Climate Change And Racial Justice
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on NPR’s Short Wave podcast, June 18, 2020

Why climate change is a civil rights battle
By Eric Holthaus, June 18, 2020

Climate Change Tied to Pregnancy Risks, Affecting Black Mothers Most
By Christopher Flavelle, June 18, 2020

‘Climate Change Is Racial Injustice’: Students Speak Their Truth In Winning Podcast
By Elissa Nadworny and Sequoia Carrillo, June 17, 2020

The Environmental Justice Wake-Up Call
By Lisa Friedman and Julia Rosen, June 17, 2020

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on the Work in Progress Podcast with Sophia Bush
June 16, 2020

We Don’t Have To Halt Climate Action To Fight Racism
By Mary Annaïse Heglar, June 12, 2020

Olivia Juarez: Environmental health means being pro-black
By Olivia Juarez, June 11, 2020

Making a Planet Worth Saving
By Bill McKibben, June 9, 2020

Thousands of scientists worldwide to go on strike for Black lives
By Nidhi Subbaraman, June 9, 2020

Read Up on the Links Between Racism and the Environment
By Somini Sengupta, The New York Times, June 5, 2020

Hurricanes disproportionately harm communities of color. TV news ignores that fact.
By Emily Pontecorvo, June 5, 2020

Why racial justice is climate justice:  the worst disasters are never colorblind.
By Claire Elise Thompson, Grist, June 4, 2020

I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet.
By Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, The Washington Post, June 3, 2020

Black Environmentalists Talk About Climate and Anti-Racism
By Somini Sengupta, featuring Sam Grant, Robert Bullard, and Heather McGhee, June 3, 2020

Responding to protests, green groups reckon with racist past
By Shannon Osaka, June 2, 2020

Protests are bringing attention to the ‘everyday violence’ faced by black Americans
By Rachel Ramirez on June 1, 2020

Climate Activists Must Become Anti-Racist Right Now or We Will Fail
By Lynna Odel, June 1, 2020

A moment of reckoning – when coronavirus meets climate change
Dr Jale Samuwai, May 17, 2020

Coronavirus is not just a health crisis — it’s an environmental justice crisis
By Yvette Cabrera, Apr 24, 2020

The climate crisis is racist, the answer is anti-racism
By Eric Holthaus, May 29, 2020

People of Color Experience Climate Grief More Deeply Than White People
By Nylah Burton, May 14 2020

The deadly mix of Covid-19, air pollution, and inequality, explained
By Lois Parshley, Apr 11, 2020

Episode 3 of the Heated Podcast –  COVID-19 and climate justice
By Emily Atkin, Apr 8, 2020

Climate stress and coronavirus gang up on world’s vulnerable
By Thin Lei Win and Michael Taylor, April 1, 2020

Why We Can’t Ignore the Link Between COVID-19, Climate Change and Inequity
By Elizabeth Sawin, April 1, 2020

OPINION: Bringing climate justice thinking to the COVID-19 pandemic
by Teresa Anderson & Niclas Hällström, March 19, 2020

Coronavirus slows developing nations’ plans to step up climate action in 2020
By Chloé Farand, March 18, 2020

Addressing Environmental Racism
Journal of International Affairs interview with Robert Bullard, Feb 11, 2020

Why I Quit Being a Climate Activist
By Karin Louise Hermes, Feb 6 2020

When it comes to access to clean water, ‘race is still strongest determinant,’ report says
By Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, Nov 27, 2019

‘Racism dictates who gets dumped on’: how environmental injustice divides the world
By Nina Lakhani, featuring Robert Bullard, Kandi Mossett-White, Mustafa Ali, Jamie Margolin, and LeAnn Walters. The Guardian, 21 Oct 2019

How Disaster Money Favors the Rich
Rebecca Hersher and Robert Benincasa, All Things Considered, Mar 5, 2019

Climate Change Isn’t the First Existential Threat
Mary Annaïse Heglar, ZORA, Feb 18, 2019

Blood at the Root: Black Americans, Southern Soil, and Shared Trauma
Mary Annaïse Heglar, Dec 20, 2018

Harvey aid shortchanges Texas cities with minorities, study finds 
By Fernando Ramirez, Houston Chronicle, Oct 4, 2018

Hurricanes hit the poor hardest
By Eleanor Krause and Richard V. Reeves, The Brookings Institution, Sept 18, 2017

From Africa to the US to Haiti, climate change is a race issue 
By Patrisse Cullors and Nyeusi Nguvu, Sept 14, 2017

If you care about the environment, then you should care about Black lives
By Antwan Herron, Apr 22, 2017

The Green Movement is Talking about Racism? It’s About Time
By Brentin Mock, Feb 27, 2017

Where will you be? Why Black Lives Matter in the Hawaiian Kingdom
By Joy Enomoto, Feb 1, 2017

How Environmental Injustice Connects to Police Violence
By Brentin Mock, July 21, 2016

Hot Take: An intersectional look at the climate crisis and the climate
Newsletter and podcast by Mary Annaise Heglar and Amy Westervelt

Still an American Dilemma
By Lauret Edith Savoy, Fall 2013

Articles and Books (Academic)

The Principles of Environmental Justice 
First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit Oct 24-27, 1991, in Washington DC

Bullard, Robert, Glenn Johnson, and Angel Torres, 2011: Environmental Health and Racial Equity in the United States: Building Environmentally Just, Sustainable, and Livable Communities. American Public Health Association Press, Washington, DC.

Dooley, K., J. Gupta, and A. Patwardhan, 2018: INEA editorial: Achieving 1.5°C and climate justice. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 18(1), 1-9, doi: 10.1007/s10784-018-9389-x.

Dutt, Kuheli. Race and racism in the geosciences. Nat. Geosci. 13, 2–3 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0519-z

Duyck, S., S. Jodoin, and A. Johl (eds.), 2018: Routledge Handbook of Human Rights
and Climate Governance. Routledge, Abingdon, UK, 430 pp.

Guirguis, K., Gershunov, A., Tardy, A., & Basu, R. (2014). The impact of recent heat waves on human health in California. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 53, 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1175/ JAMC‐D‐13‐0130.1

Hansen, A., Bi, L., Saniotis, A., & Nitschke, M. (2013). Vulnerability to extreme heat and climate change: Is ethnicity a factor? Global Health Action, 6, 21364. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v6i0.21364

Harlan, Sharon, Pellow, David N., and Timmons Roberts, J., with Elizabeth Bell, Shannon, Holt, William G., and Nagel, Joane, 2015: Climate Justice and Inequality. In Dunlap, Riley and Brulle, Robert J. (Eds.), Climate Change and Society: Sociological Perspectives, pp. 127–163. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Ikeme, Jekwu, 2003: Equity, environmental justice and sustainability: incomplete approaches to climate change politics. Global Environmental Change, 13: 195-206.

Leiserowitz, A. & Akerlof, K. (2010) Race, Ethnicity and Public Responses to Climate
Change. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate
Change.

Liu, J. C., Wilson, A., Mickley, L. J., Ebisu, K., Sulprizio, M. P., Wang, Y., … Bell, M. L. (2017). Who among the elderly is most vulnerable to exposure to and health risks of fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke? American Journal of Epidemiology, 186, 730–735. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwx141

Malin, Stephanie and Ryder, Stacia. Developing deeply intersectional environmental justice scholarship. Editorial, Environmental Psychology, 2018, pp. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2018.1446711.

Mares, D. (2013). Climate change and levels of violence in socially disadvantaged neighborhood groups. Journal of Urban Health, 90, 768–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524‐013‐9791‐1

Morse, Reilly. Environmental Justice Through the Eye of Hurricane Katrina. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Inc. 2008.

Hari M. Osofsky, Kate Baxter-Kauf, Bradley Hammer, Ann Mailander, Brett Mares, Amy Pikovsky, Andrew Whitney, and Laura Wilson, Environmental Justice and the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 20 N.Y.U. ENVTL. L.J. 99 (2012), available at https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/faculty_articles/415.

Ryder, Stacia. A Bridge to Challenging Environmental Inequality: Intersectionality, Environmental Justice, and Disaster Vulnerability. Social Thought and Research, Volume 34, 2017, pp. 85-115. https://doi.org/10.17161/1808.25571

Web Resources

Public Health Resources for Understanding Environmental Racism

Ten simple rules for building an anti-racist lab
By Bala Chaudhary and Asmeret Berhe, June 18, 2020

Guidelines for talking about racial and ethnic identity / Bias-free language
APA Style Guide – Racial and Ethnic Identity

NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice
https://www.naacp.org/issues/environmental-justice/

Principles of Climate Justice – Mary Robinson Foundation https://www.mrfcj.org/principles-of-climate-justice

Environmental Justice – US Environmental Protection Agency
https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice

Resources on Environmental Justice, Racism, and Whiteness
https://wecprotects.org/racial-environmental-justice/resources/

Portland 350.org: Environmental Justice & White Supremacy Resources
https://350pdx.org/climate-justice/environmental-justice-resources/

The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment https://health2016.globalchange.gov/

In Hawaiʻi: The Pōpolo Project
https://www.thepopoloproject.org/

Who to follow

Twitter “Green voices of color”
https://twitter.com/i/lists/1087490564977819648

11 Young Climate Justice Activists You Need to Pay Attention To
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8xwvq3/11-young-climate-justice-activists-you-need-to-pay-attention-to-beyond-greta-thunberg

2019 Grist 50! (many on the list work on environmental and climate justice) https://grist.org/grist-50/2019/ 

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