Residents of communities predominantly home to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income individuals disproportionally experience the worst effects of climate change, including poor air and water quality, extreme weather, and the rising cost of essential resources. Their experience and the strategies that they have developed to cope with these impacts can lead to more effective long-term solutions.  

The fact that Environmental Justice (EJ) communities face higher exposure to the harms of pollution and climate change is not by accident. 

Decisions made by government entities and other institutions have exacerbated the threat of the safety and well-being of the most vulnerable communities. For example:

• Forcing Indigenous communities to leave their homes,
• Providing weak workplace protections for jobs held mostly by BIPOC and immigrants, and
• Inducing residential discrimination, and having low-income housing near toxic facilities, highways, and within wetlands

Prioritizing climate action in EJ communities and the solutions identified by those most impacted is critical to achieving a future where all people are protected from environmental harm and benefit from the transition to a greener future.