49 issues · 2020–2023
Hawai'i has been decimated by its reliance on tourism, an economic decision that fuels the inequities that cause disasters to impact those most marginalized disproportionately.
The U.S. military's practice of open burn and open detonation weighs the value of human life against cheap waste disposal.
Climate change and environmental degradation disproportionately impact marginalized communities of color around the globe.
The push for greater accessibility and inclusivity in outdoor recreation is led by the communities historically excluded from these spaces.
Lack of infrastructure and accountability from local U.S. governments has led to public distrust in tap water.
Wealthy nations are pushing electric vehicles as a green solution, ignoring the toll it has on human rights and the environment.
Fights to defend community land are intensifying nationwide as organizers and neighbors build connections across differences and movements.
Despite recognizing World Water Day, almost half the world's population lacks home plumbing with drinkable water, including in the U.S.
As Cop City looms, discussions on the impacts of environmental racism and the ongoing struggle for environmental and social justice in Atlanta continue.
Railroad workers warned that a wreck like a derailment in East Palestine would occur unless officials mitigated railroad companies' power.
The need for environmental justice is ever present as global institutions and governments fuel a climate crisis on track to upend our survival.
A protest movement to stop Cop City and protect an Atlanta forest continues despite a brutal police raid on the protest encampment.
Pesticides have a long history in communities of color in the United States, and like most issues that affect these communities, it is rooted in institutional racism.
Historically, the United States government has stripped, ignored, and infringed on the water rights of Indigenous communities.
The process of evacuating climate disasters is more complex than picking up and going, often leaving some with a difficult choice against an unpredictable force.
Teachers are fundraising to get air conditioning into their classrooms due to record heat waves and inadequate educational infrastructure.
Nationwide, numerous U.S. cities are dealing with some form of water contamination, lack of drinkable water, and outdated infrastructure, similar to the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi.
Climate justice centers on marginalized communities most affected by climate change yet have been historically ignored by environmentalism.
The environment is rapidly worsening as companies continue contributing to the climate crisis while pushing a greenwashing facade.
Activists are taking direct action to stop the development of a police training ground, Cop City, in Atlanta’s largest remaining green space.
The current climate crisis has led to a rise in climate migration globally, as millions of people are forced from their homes due to devasting weather disasters.
Due to carbon inequality, marginalized people globally face the brunt of the climate and ecological crisis despite contributing the least carbon emissions.
The water crisis in Hawaii is the result of rampant negligence and a pattern of political and ethical failures seen across the country.
Food is a cornerstone of culture, and our ability to access healthy food and decide what we consume is rooted in the same inequities that other industries face.
Whether it’s a question of sovereignty, preservation, or spirituality, there’s much to unpack with the U.S.'s legacy of land ownership.
Rising food costs add a racial and economic burden to Indigenous communities who disproportionately struggle with food insecurity.
Without stopping utility shutoffs and supporting home weatherization, racism and inequality will keep everyone from staying warm this winter.
As the completion date of Line 3 nears, there's still much to be done to protect Indigenous activists and their land.
Many poor communities of color lack access to clean water and working sewage systems.
Hurricane Ida and the intersection of housing injustice and environmental threats.
Hurricane Ida demonstrates the intersection of housing justice and environmental racism. Learn how you can support.
Relief funding disproportionately goes to white-led organizations and white, affluent neighborhoods.
Agriculture is in full focus this year with people gaining awareness about how their foods are cultivated. As people across the country found themselves spending more time at home, home and community-based gardening started to rise (MLive). This trend is not limited to adults. It also includes the education provided for students. Agricultural education is a powerful component of racial equity that should be promoted for students across the country.
This Thursday, April 22, is the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, one of the most significant secular movements observed worldwide. Modeled after the anti-war and civil rights movements that preceded it, the first Earth Day, held on April 19, 1970, was a massive demonstration where millions of people took to the streets to rally for environmental justice. The event supported the advancement of a series of legislation in the years to come: an amended Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Endangered Species Act; the Marine Mammal Protection Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (Time).
Though Chicago is home to some of the most vibrant urban forests, prairies, and wetlands, in 2020 it set the record for having the worst, unhealthy air quality streak in ten years, ranking even higher than busy cities like Los Angeles. Coupled with COVID-19, experts and advocates predicted the damage would hit Black and Brown communities the hardest (abc 7 chicago). In addition to the many contributing factors that make this city environmentally unsafe such as daily emissions stemming from rail, road, and air traffic, Little Village—a Black and predominantly Latinx neighborhood—soon will have to endure the harsh effects of a metal-shredding operation on top of the pandemic and daily exhaustion.
Water is a necessary natural resource needed to live a sustainable life. Humans are made up of about sixty percent of water and, in addition to it being essential for the body, it is the most important substance for cleaning, bathing, washing, and many other things. When it comes to cities that are mostly comprised of Black and Brown citizens, proper maintenance and availability to the basic necessities—such as water, in this case—are sometimes overlooked or deemed as unimportant or not as urgent as those living in predominantly white neighborhoods. Blatant disregard for these Black and Brown populations shows up more often than not but mostly during some sort of environmental crisis or natural disaster.
Millions of people across the country are without power after a series of intense winter storms. From Nashville to Chicago, North Carolina to Oregon, states are grappling with power outages, car crashes, and destruction from wind, snow, tornadoes, or hail. The situation is especially dire in Texas, where over 2 million people are without power throughout the state. Heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures have overwhelmed the state’s power grid, causing widespread outages that have left many communities without power for days on end.
Sustainability is fashion’s latest trend. All over, marketing buzzwords like “ethical” and “eco-conscious” float around the likes of ads, press releases, and influencer Instagram pages. Although bringing awareness to the harmful impact of fashion’s waste is a positive note in the right direction, many seem to exclude a significant part of the discussion: the manufacturer workers, often women of color, earning significantly less than a liveable wage.
Understandably, the general American public is confused, disinterested, and polarized on the climate crisis. Climate change, said to be the biggest crisis of our lifetime by scientists, is rarely presented as fact, but rather an issue for debate. It is also seldom presented as a social and racial justice issue. However, communities of color bear the weight of the crisis with significant health issues, limited food supply, and contaminated water (Green America).
We need to look at our eco-conscious efforts, like reducing plastic consumption, as both environmentally-friendly and an act of anti-racism.