Climate-change

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____As a kid, I used to travel to the beaches of North Carolina and Maryland with my family every year. Now, our coastlines are particularly at risk from climate change. Rising sea levels and coastal erosion mean that the beaches I love may not be the same the next time I take my four-year-old daughter, Mia, to visit when it is safe to travel again. In a few decades, they could be gone forever, if we don’t act.I’m a climate scientist and a mom. As I wade deeper into my research on the Arctic, and deeper into the role of motherhood that I so cherish, I am increasingly concerned with the risk climate change poses to our futures. Climate change is irrefutable: Scientists agree that it’s real, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, it’s happening today and it’s an urgent threat to our communities — particularly Black, brown and Indigenous people, low-income communities, and most of all, our children. The only way we can hope to solve this challenge is by working together and demanding immediate action from our government. We can no longer wait. If we continue on our current path of inaction, the costs are simply far too high. We will guarantee ourselves not only eroding beaches in North Carolina, we will guarantee a hotter earth, more dangerous wildfires in California and even stronger hurricanes in Florida and Texas. We risk an unlivable climate for my daughter and kindergarteners her age, everywhere. Right now, we are bearing the brunt of inadequate action on COVID-19 around the world. Inaction on climate change, too, will impact everyone. While thinking about the task ahead of us is daunting, I’m not ready to accept an uncertain future for my daughter. I’d rather use my voice to raise the alarm and push for change. That’s why I’m helping to launch a new initiative called Science Moms with other climate scientists across the country. Together, we’re sharing accurate, trusted, science-based information and resources so we can all understand climate change better. We’re sharing these tools through empathy, connection, and humor. More than anything, we want to help spark a conversation. The good news is that solutions to climate change do exist. From clean energy that comes from nature itself, like solar and wind, to new technologies like electric cars and heat pumps, our societies are transforming to become greener and more sustainable. But this change is not happening fast enough. We need to demand urgent government action and innovation. Our leaders can take action against climate change, and we can make it clear it's our top priority by talking to our elected officials. We can write letters, attend events and educate ourselves, and simply start a conversation with a fellow mom.In my school district here in Colorado, we’re having these critical conversations. I’ve enjoyed working with kids, parents and K-12 teachers in my community as many of them are finding new ways to bring accurate information into their classrooms.Here’s what I know: parents are extraordinarily powerful advocates. We’ve helped to lobby for global vaccine access and stood on the frontlines of campaigns against tobacco and drunk driving. Through our involvement in PTAs across the country, we’ve made our schools better places for our children’s development. We are motivated by their bright futures.In pursuit of these bright futures, we should be worried about climate change. It is happening now. It’s happening in the places that we love and want to visit with our kids and grand-kids someday.As I make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for my daughter, and dream of taking her to the beach post-quarantine, I’ll keep worrying about how climate change will impact her life. It’s time we stand up and take action on this existential threat that affects every corner of our world — our futures, and the futures of all little ones, depend on it.____Dr. Melissa Burt is a Research Scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____For the past six years, Flint experienced one of the worst acts of environmental injustice in recent history. The malpractice that precipitated the Flint water crisis caused a dozen deaths and made nearly a hundred individuals extremely ill. Thousands more were exposed to toxic lead contaminants that will impact the community for years to come. The majority of those affected are Black.Recently, nine former Michigan officials were charged for their roles in the Flint water crisis, including former Governor of Michigan Rick Snyder, who is facing misdemeanor charges punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Charges, especially against the former governor, are progress. It’s an acknowledgment of the pain and suffering Flint continues to endure.But these egregious crimes cannot be dismissed as simply a misdemeanor offense. This tells Flint residents of color as well, as Black and brown Americans across the country, that their health, safety and security are not paramount.We cannot allow those who purposefully cut corners and neglected their responsibility to guard our health to get off with such little accountability. In August, Flint residents reached a $600 million preliminary settlement that would provide aid for residents suffering the effects of long-term lead poisoning, including special education for children living with lasting health impacts. This rightfully drew criticism as too little to adequately deal with the damages caused by the contamination. Former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver called the settlement a “slap in the face.” These misdemeanor charges are yet another slap in the face.As a longtime organizer and environmental justice activist working directly with the residents of Flint, Michigan, I have seen first hand how detrimental the lack of concern, carelessness, deep-seated racism and pure incompetence has been to the people of Flint.The crisis in Flint exposed nearly 30,000 children to toxic lead, resulting in neurological damage that has overwhelmed the area’s public school system. Women in Flint experienced life-altering impacts with miscarriages and other reproductive health challenges due to the corrosive water. Six years after the crisis was first reported, 15% of Flint’s lead pipes have yet to be replaced and some communities still lack access to safe water.The lack of transparency from Michigan officials and lackluster charges, in this case, makes one thing abundantly clear — the well-being of Black and brown bodies continues to be ignored. The crisis in Michigan highlights how intertwined public health, environmental rights and racism has become.The most polluted ZIP code in Michigan, 48217, is 81%, Black. Four of the five most polluting refineries in Michigan are within five miles of this ZIP code — this figure echoes throughout the rest of the country. Black Americans are 75% more likely to live in fenceline communities that border polluting facilities like oil and gas refineries. Meanwhile, amid a global pandemic, communities of color disproportionately heed the consequences of this debilitating disease.Throughout the country, Black and brown Americans continue to fight for the right to clean water, land and air.We can and must do better for our communities of color. January 20, 2021 marked the inauguration of Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Both Biden and Harris campaigned on extensive environmental justice reform and finally addressed the extreme disparities the Black and brown Americans must endure.We are seeing some steps in the right direction, however, there is still a lot of work to be done from institutional powers to ensure that all Americans are protected.These charges on Synder and Michigan officials are minimal compared to the immense suffering that Flint residents have had to live through for the past six years.These charges are extremely disappointing, and a clear sign that this country must do more to bring true climate and environmental justice to Black and brown Americans in this country.____LaTricea Adams is the founder, CEO, and President of Black Millennials 4 Flint and co-chair of the Climate Power 2020 Michigan State Advisory...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____Co-written by Pete Maysmith____Last month, Black voters turned out for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in unprecedented numbers because they know the United States stands on the brink of disaster. President-elect Biden aptly named the four crises facing our nation: coronavirus, economic recession, structural racism and climate change. Across all four, Black people continue to face the worst effects. These communities decided this election, the Biden-Harris Administration must listen to Black voters’ demands and deliver meaningful solutions to these crises.BlackPAC and LCV Victory Fund, along with many other allies, reached out to millions of Black voters across the country. We helped educate voters about the candidates, their plans for Black communities and how they could make their voices heard in some of our nation’s most challenging elections. We also took time to listen and hear what motivated Black communities to vote.They demanded leaders who were ready to act against racism in all its forms. One place this new cabinet can immediately start is environmental justice.Polls show that Black voters are deeply concerned about climate change and the environment because they have felt the worst effects of pollution. The demands are clear, but we need this administration to act on day one.In our conversations with Black voters, it was clear they were primed to cast their ballots to defeat not only Trump himself, but Trumpism in all its forms. They voted to replace the politics of fear and division with competent moral leadership. Now we need a fair and inclusive agenda that lifts all communities.President-elect Biden has already started on the right foot. Creating new international and domestic climate cabinet positions show real progress. A full-government approach is exactly what we need, and this administration must continue to think bigger than any before. Communities of color have lived with our worst pollution for decades, brought on by years of racist policies. We all deserve to live in healthy safe neighborhoods with clean air and clean water. Now that key positions across the cabinet have been nominated, every relevant agency must show they are committed to environmental justice.Black voters were as motivated as ever to cast their ballots. But they overcame difficult challenges to vote. Misinformation, racist voter ID laws and gerrymandering that a federal judge said “targeted African-Americans with almost surgical precision.” We reached out to millions of voters directly and helped educate them on how to vote in an unprecedented year. But these problems are not going away. We know dire issues like the climate crisis can only be solved with a healthy democracy. This administration must also enact serious democratic reforms to ensure voters can always make their voices heard.We have a narrow window to address the greatest challenge we have ever faced. Our future depends on how we will fight the climate crisis in the next ten years. Voters are demanding action and we have the tools to solve it, but we need these new leaders to act.We came together this election to face a challenge like we had never seen, and we won. But to undo the underlying systemic roots that led us here we cannot let the bonds we formed break.So many of us built new partnerships in 2020. Together we can deliver the democracy we know we deserve and respond to the demands of Black voters, especially on issues like environment justice. We must continue to fight like our lives are still on the line because they are.Black communities fought to restore moral, thoughtful, pro-environment leadership in our government. Together we must ensure that the new administration delivers on this mandate.____Adrianne Shropshire is executive director of BlackPAC and the affiliated nonpartisan Black Progressive Action Coalition.Pete Maysmith is Senior Vice President of Campaigns for LCV Victory...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____Four centuries after the first enslaved Africans arrived on the shores of America, our country still struggles with systemic racism that pervades our institutions and affects every area of our lives, including public and environmental health. Just this summer, during a pandemic that has disproportionately affected Black and brown Americans, we witnessed Americans take to the streets in every state in the country to protest the murder of Ahmaud Arbery here in Georgia and the videotaped murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. While we must work tirelessly to address these issues, we must also confront the growing threat that environmental injustices pose to Black families in Georgia and across the nation.For generations, communities of color have had their backyards targeted for risky projects like power plants, toxic waste sites and factories spewing noxious air and unhealthy drinking water. Even as the Trump Administration’s EPA looks to roll back regulations on pollution, they have admitted as recently as last year that communities of color are more likely to live closer to landfills and breathe polluted air. These communities living on the frontlines of our climate crisis suffer the brunt of environmental ills, which result in significant health disparities and exacerbate pre-existing conditions including increased rates of asthma and other respiratory ailments, cancer and even death.We know why COVID-19 is ravaging our communities disproportionately. Research confirms Black and brown communities are more likely to be exposed to pollution, placing them at higher risk to die from the coronavirus. The question is whether we are finally going to take action to address the underlying issues. This racism may be more subtle than police brutality, but it is every bit as dangerous and pervasive. Our demands for justice for all certainly must mean that our communities, our very homes, must not be health risks.COVID-19 has given us a unique and urgent mandate to responsibly rebuild both our healthcare system and our federal climate policy to ensure all Americans can thrive. That’s why I have spent the past few months traveling across the state of Georgia to share my vision for clean air and water in every community. After hundreds of conversations, this much is clear –– from families in Juliette drinking water contaminated by toxic coal ash ponds to communities along the coast in my hometown of Savannah grappling with dramatic sea level rise, the disparities in Georgia and across the country underscore a systemic failure of our Senate to address climate change and environmental justice. While some on the ballot refuse to acknowledge that climate change even exists, Georgia families deserve leaders willing to do the work needed to remedy the inequities being experienced in this crisis and transform our climate crisis into a climate opportunity.Rooted in the idea that all people are entitled to the same degree of protection from environmental hazards and equal access to the decision making process, my emphasis on climate justice is guided by my Christian faith and understanding that, “the Earth is the Lord’s.” We are tied in a single garment of shared destiny, and the choices we make today will affect — and likely constrain — the lives of our children, grandchildren and many generations beyond.It is past time we take meaningful action toward ameliorating these environmental wrongs and provide communities on the frontlines of our climate crisis a voice and a means to fight back against the pollution that threatens their children and families. If we are going to achieve true justice for Black and brown communities in Georgia and across the country, we must address these historic shortcomings by placing equity and justice at the center of federal climate and environmental policy.Climate policy must do more than cut carbon pollution. It must tackle our legacy of environmental racism and work to ensure that all Americans — no matter their ZIP code, race or income level — are protected from environmental devastation. We have to demand accountability for the impact of pollution on the health and well-being of our communities and work to center the concerns of communities most affected in any meaningful environmental reform.Our lawmakers must make clear to the polluters that are poisoning our air and our waterways that enough is enough. With new leadership in Washington, we can ensure that our society becomes healthy and sustainable — not just for the privileged few, but for everyone. We have a long way to go to address systemic racism and environmental injustice in the United States, but I know that together, we can meet this moment, right the wrongs of the past and leave our children the healthy, livable world that they deserve.In the U.S. Senate, I look forward to being a strong partner in that work.____Reverend Raphael Warnock is running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia’s special election. He has served as the Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____This year has been a real reckoning of racial injustice in the US. The murder of George Floyd has put racial inequality at the forefront again — lifting up  the fight for environmental justice.Tonight is the first and only vice presidential debate between Kamala Harris — the first Black woman on  the vice presidential debate stage — and Mike Pence — an active climate racist, evidenced by his decades in office.As a matter of survival, climate and environmental justice must be part of the debate. Not just because of who will be on the stage, but because  of ever present climate racism and our government’s role in ongoing facilitation of injustice. We are in a long overdue and necessary moment.The severity of the climate crisis is made clear as wildfires rage in the west and record-breaking hurricanes continue to hit the Gulf Coast. Extreme weather and heat across the country are destroying black, indigenous and communities of color at much higher rates than white Americans. The climate crisis is here and it's fueled by systemic racism.The fight for climate action cannot be discussed apart from confronting how Black and brown communities are continually ignored, and disproportionately suffer from the consequences of ongoing pollution and race blind government policies that prioritized Big Oil over the lives and health of people.For decades Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities have borne the brunt of environmental racism as lifetimes are zoned in dumping grounds for hazardous materials, landfills, waste treatment facilities, as well as the home of toxic polluting facilities like oil and gas refineries and coal fired power plants.My life’s work is fighting for vulnerable populations to have equal access to clean water and clean air and dismantle the long legacy of Black bodies and minds suffering from the effects of toxics exposure and pollution. Black Americans are 75% more likely to live in fenceline communities that border polluting facilities like oil and gas refineries, with a 16% higher risk of cancer than white communities.Black Americans are twice as likely to die from the coronavirus all while the Trump administration weaponizes doing nothing to aid the community. The president himself contracted the virus, receiving free access to health care and support, yet he remains unsympathetic to how everyday Americans, especially those of color, are dying from this disease and a lack of support. The compound crisis of COVID-19, climate, lack of access to health care, and systemic racial and economic violence is killing us at a much greater rate. This inequality is not new but is going to get worse — especially in a year of unprecedented climate catastrophes.Flooding disproportionately harms Black neighborhoods and the long-term impacts disproportionately fall on low-income communities of color. We are already at a higher risk of extreme heat, and by 2050, counties with large African-American populations are expected to experience around 20 more extreme heat days annually than those with smaller African-American populations. Black mothers are at significant risk to high risk pregnancy due to climate change — Black mothers are at greater risk for preterm birth and low birth weight associated with exposure to excessive heat and pollution.All of this will get worse under another four years of unprecedented anti-climate agenda.Tonight’s vice presidential debate needs to include a focus on climate, showcasing how Harris’ and Pence’s climate agendas could not be more different. Pence has directly contributed to the harm to communities of color, from rolling back over 100 environmental protections, with 15% more unhealthy air days throughout this administration’s tenure. His future plans don’t include us.On the other side of the spectrum, Harris stands for Black women and can be pushed to do better for our communities. In the Senate, she proposed scoring bills on their potential consequences to poor and minority communities and put forward legislation to reverse a Supreme Court decision making it more difficult for African Americans and other groups to sue under the Civil Rights Act. As the first  Black woman to be nominated for national office by a major party, Harris can be the climate champion that we need to fight climate injustices. The fight for justice continues — it is critical to hold officials accountable to science providing equal access and justice. Our lives depend on...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____Co-written by Jordan Jefferson____Climate change is poised to have a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color. This form of environmental injustice will only intensify as climate instability accelerates. To address it, we need solutions that can work quickly while also safeguarding the economic well-being of our families and communities.With this in mind, we have joined more than 350 student body presidents from across the country in support of the cornerstone climate solution known as carbon dividends. The statement signees represent all 50 states and people of all backgrounds and political perspectives.As student body leaders of historically Black institutions, we believe this would be an important contribution to the cause of environmental justice. While the carbon dividends solution does not pretend to address all forms of environmental injustice, it does offer a politically viable way to achieve significant reductions in pollution and protect the health and safety of our families and communities. It is a concrete remedy to a problem that poses risks to everyone, but especially to Black Americans. The carbon dividends solution would strike at the core of the climate challenge by holding companies accountable. By imposing a steadily rising fee on all carbon-based fuels, it would incentivize an economy-wide transition to clean energy and help slash the greenhouse gas emissions and associated pollutants that endanger public health. In fact, a carbon price of just a few pennies per pound of CO2 would position us to far exceed the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.Cutting emissions quickly would offer outsized benefits to Black and brown Americans. Studies have shown that while we contribute relatively little to air pollution, people of color suffer greater consequences, including increased risks of asthma and cancer. Many lower-income Black Americans live near highways or other pollution hotspots, increasing exposure to vehicle and industrial plant emissions. A swift and cost-effective transition to clean energy would alleviate many of these ills and usher in a safer, more healthy future for our families and communities.In addition, to prevent the costs of this transition from falling on ordinary Americans, the carbon dividends program would return all the revenue raised by this fee to citizens in equal-sized quarterly payments. With a starting price of just $0.02 per pound of CO2, a family of four could expect to receive $2000 per year. Even accounting for the presence of a carbon fee, this would raise incomes for most lower-and middle-income households, helping Black and brown households particularly. This simple dividend model is also more equitable and effective than other potential uses of the revenue. Government investment programs can suffer from bureaucratic complexity, years of delay and benefits that accrue to only some members of the community. By contrast, a cash dividend would bypass the red tape, reaching everyone, immediately. This would ensure we can address climate change while also directly supporting the economic health of everyone in our communities.Finally, this carbon fee-and-dividend approach pays for itself and can be enacted and implemented swiftly. This would free up government resources to make long-overdue investments in healthcare, education and other public services that are needed to address income and racial injustice.Given many of these advantages, the carbon dividends approach has earned support from top environmental organizations and climate champions, including Christiana Figueres, a key architect of the Paris Climate Agreement. More than 3,500 economists signed onto a statement in favor of the plan, the largest in the profession’s history. Signatories include all four top economic advisers to President Obama and researchers like Dr. Lisa D. Cook, a leading scholar of African-American economic history. In their words, with carbon dividends, “the majority of American families, including the most vulnerable, will benefit financially.”As we work toward achieving environmental justice for all, the carbon dividends plan is a powerful and politically viable solution that would improve the wellbeing of Americans on the receiving end of environmental harm. This framework offers a surefire way to mitigate climate impacts on Black and brown communities, while ensuring that public and economic health are advanced at the same time. It is a smart approach that deserves broad support.—Myles Bartholomew served as Xavier University of Louisiana, Student Government President, 2019-2020, Brown University PhD student Jordan Jefferson served as Jackson State University, Student Government Association President, 2019-2020; Harvard Kennedy School...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____In the history books yet to be written about the 21st century, the title of this chapter will be, “The Movement for Black Lives Saves the Planet.” Black people in America are once again stepping forward to exert the moral leadership that’s been lacking in this country to heal the wounds that have divided our nation for over 400 years. We are going to defund the police and use that money to build a sustainable and healthy society.How? Gimme a minute, I’ll take you there. First I gotta talk to my Black people for a second. (Everybody else, you can listen in.)Like so many of us, I work at a predominantly white-led institution with a troubled history around racial justice: the Sierra Club. It’s not always easy, but I do it because my work at the Sierra Club is an expression of my love for Black people. Because if we don’t build ourselves a world where Black people can thrive through the climate crisis, no one will. Black people have to build our own solutions that will work for our own communities. We are leading and we are asking that white people fall in line.Every Black leader I know in the climate justice movement shares a simple understanding: we do this work because we’re clear on the fact that our lives depend on it. Most Black folks will only survive the next 50 years if we can end white supremacy and anti-Black violence before we get into the worst of the climate crisis.The climate crisis will exacerbate every stress, worsen every social ill. Our health systems will be overwhelmed. Our infrastructure will be besieged. Our society will be tested.If this, what we have today, is the version of American society to be tested by the climate crisis, we will fail that test. The climate crisis is one big Hurricane Katrina barreling toward us at full speed.All right, kinfolk, (white folks, that means you too) you can come back now. Listen carefully, because there’s something I need you in particular to understand.Black people have the solutions to our own problems.Did you hear that? Let me say it again.Black people. Have the solutions. To our own problems.When I go to work at Sierra Club every day, I’m building Black solutions. I’m creating policy proposals and projects that will help Black people survive and thrive through the climate crisis.Just like there are Black solutions to the climate crisis, there are Black solutions to the crisis of police violence. Those are the solutions you should be listening to right now.Black folks leading the movement against police violence are converging around a single demand: Defund the police.Close your eyes. Can you hear a new world emerging? Can you feel it?Just imagine: if we didn’t spend our tax dollars on dominating and controlling Black communities through the police, we could spend those dollars on building communities that are healthy and interconnected enough to survive the climate crisis. With just half of what we spend on the LAPD and Sheriff’s Department every year, we could build affordable housing surrounded by parks in every neighborhood. We could invest in energy efficiency upgrades for people in danger of having their utilities shut off. We could create union jobs in community solar programs, giving those opportunities to Black folks who have been shut out of economic gain in this country.We could fund a Green New Deal that centers Black folks with just a fraction of the money we waste every year on over-policing and surveillance that doesn’t make anybody in this country any safer.In fact — we will. The movement to defund the police in this country is ascendant, and we will rise. And when we take the money we’ve been wasting on tanks and flak jackets and turn it into jobs and parks, the whole world will be less violent.In the end, everyone in America will thank Black folks for transforming what public safety means in this country. Best believe, y’all.This transformation won’t come at the expense of your family’s safety. Because the police don’t make us safer. Just read what the M4BL wrote about how cops make our communities less safe, not more. Or this study that says cops in riot gear, slinging tear gas are more likely to inspire property damage than prevent it.Police funding has been rising dramatically for decades, at the expense of public investments in housing, education, health care and climate action. If people understood that we’ve been defunding education in this country for 30 years, maybe they wouldn’t think defunding the police was quite so radical.So, you know what to do: follow Black leaders in this moment if you want to survive. We have to shift our public resources, invest in communities and reject the status quo of militarized violence. We are trying to save not only ourselves, but the entire...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____In the 1990s, Michigan was famed for our clean skies and pure waters. Fast forward to 2020: That appears to be a thing of the past.Now, Detroit is one of the most polluted cities in America. Nearby Flint, a majority Black city, is still suffering from the lingering injustice of the Flint Water Crisis, which exacerbates the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease, and increases susceptibility to Legionnaires and the newest crisis: coronavirus.Across the country, we’re seeing a stark connection between areas who’ve long suffered from pollution who are now getting hit the hardest from coronavirus.Detroit, a city that is nearly 77% African American, is the epicenter for COVID-19 cases in Michigan. While African Americans only represent 14% of the total state population, they account for 31% of overall COVID-19 cases and 40% of deaths.It’s clear Michigan is fighting against systemic problems: pollution has harmed our state because companies have been allowed to poison our communities with little consequence. Breathing dirty air exacerbates health concerns that make us susceptible to COVID. And then there is the president.In our moment of need, instead of ensuring Michiganders received essential federal support, our president turned his back, using us as political pawns to further his agenda.This president — whose main job is to protect our democracy — undermined efforts to expand vote-by-mail, threatened to withhold resources Michigan needs to recover from the flooding and COVID-19, and reinforced his anti-science bias — putting us even more at risk of future incidents of extreme weather events. As if the litany of grievances wasn’t long enough, while many in Michigan have joined communities around the world  protesting against police brutality with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and an untold number of other Black individuals, Trump targeted the protesters with malicious tweets, threats of violence and incarceration.This president has never exemplified adequate leadership. Since before he took office, he has disrespected our system of government, made a mockery of the United States on the world stage and relentlessly targeted his personal and professional critics. His anti-Black, anti-immigrant and anti-science agenda has sparked widespread hatred that has unraveled years of progress and social justice work.The 2020 elections have unleashed a new level of vitriol — and he is now building greater hostility toward our communities with actions that could put Michiganders in peril. Our president does not have the best track record with women. Maybe he’s trying to diminish the significance of our state because he’s intimidated by Governor Gretchen Whitmer — or as he calls her, “that woman from Michigan.” The origins of his animosity could very well be because Michigan voters are vital to his fleeting chances at re-election.This is a dangerous game for the president to play. Trump is underwater in Michigan, with just 42% of voters approving of the job he’s doing, according to RealClearPolitics.All this comes as we are entering the summer months, which brings further threats of extreme weather. With FEMA overwhelmed by COVID-19, the Trump administration is woefully unprepared for the floods, extreme heat, wildfires, poor air quality and droughts that have become increasingly common due to the climate crisis. This leaves communities across Michigan at risk for widespread devastation, economic insecurity and death.Environmental justice leaders and civil rights activists are amplifying the 60 plus environmental rollbacks the current administration has brought forth. Voters will watch closely as Trump continuously fails to respond to extreme weather events in Michigan and across the country. Recent polling shows Americans are increasingly concerned about climate change. For the first time, a majority of persuadable Americans could be swayed by a candidate's willingness to listen to scientists and experts. The American people don’t believe that climate change is “fake news.”In Michigan, we are counting down the days to November. We are living with the impacts of climate change with bouts of intense flooding, droughts and a disheartening increase of asthma sufferers. Research shows that the severity of summer droughts could triple in the next three decades and that nearly 350,000 individuals live in at-risk flood zones in our state. As of 2016, Michigan had the sixth highest prevalence rate (10.9%) of current asthma among adults compared to other US states. Approximately 25% of adults in Lake County, Michigan, have asthma — a quarter of the entire county.Michiganders and Americans across the country are ready for leaders who will protect us from the next flood. And we know we cannot afford more failed leadership from a bigoted, anti-science president who cares more about winning an election than valuing Black Lives and protecting the health and wellbeing of our environment where we live, work and our children play. Michigan deserves better; America needs better. Make Michigan, and the U.S. at-large, clean again.____LaTricea Adams is the founder, CEO and President of Black Millennials 4 Flint and co-chair of the Climate Power 2020 Michigan State Advisory...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____Police are killing us, coronavirus is stalking us, jobs are disappearing and the White House administration keeps throwing gasoline on the whole dumpster fire. And of course, all this is just the latest chapter in a 400 plus-year-old story of systemic racism in this country. It’s one trauma after another, piled on top of us, making everyday life seem unbearable. For many of us, we’ve been saying “I can’t breathe” long before the police killings of Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Tony McDade.But still, we rise. And in city after town after suburb, we’re in the streets, marching and protesting and demanding change. You can’t go anywhere in 2020 without hearing someone call out for justice.As a Black queer storyteller, I’ve found my form of direct action through sharing the stories of others. As a consultant, I work with amazing leaders centering another facet of justice we cannot ignore: climate justice. Our communities are our environment — they are where we live and thrive. Clean air, safe water and healthy soils producing good food shouldn’t be things that only people living in the “right” zip codes enjoy. We all deserve to live in a safe, healthy environment — in safe, healthy communities. And that means curbing climate change.That’s why I’m hosting a new show from The Solutions Project that offers joy, hope and real talk about climate justice. Whether you’re a newbie to the justice movement or have been campaigning for years, I hope you’ll watch Climate Curious to hear from solutionaries who are radically imagining a better planet for our communities, and celebrities like Don Cheadle, Regina Hall and Mark Ruffalo who support them. The show debuts at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 23, livestreaming on The Solutions Project’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Right now we’re living in a moment of liberation for all of us. From the teardown of statues that symbolize racism to inspiring marches, like the one in Brooklyn last week where 15,000 people came out to support Black trans lives, more of us are saying enough is enough. And while “I can’t breathe” has become a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter, it’s an everyday reality for a lot of us. Black and brown communities suffer disproportionately from the air pollution that comes from burning dirty energy and causes climate change. Black kids are twice as likely to be hospitalized because of asthma than white kids, and four times more likely to die from it. Plus, Black people are more likely to suffer from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases aggravated by air pollution. So when a respiratory disease like COVID-19 comes around, our lungs are most vulnerable.It sucks. But still, we rise.I believe in a better world for all of us, liberated from police brutality, from white supremacy, from systems that have been in places so long that too many people don’t even see them anymore. And just like the Defund Police movement, the climate justice movement is working toward the day when instead of targeting Black and brown people, we invest in them and create healthy, safe, thriving communities.What would it be like if nobody had to go to a gas station ever again, because we ditched gas-powered cars, trucks and buses for clean public transportation and electric vehicles?What would it be like to go to the bodega down the street and be able to buy not only  Hot Cheetos, but also affordable farm-fresh fruit and vegetables, too?And what would it be like if, instead of worrying about paying utility bills and knowing the money’s going to some executive’s bonus and contributing to climate change, our communities controlled their own clean and healthy sources of power, like community solar arrays and wind farms? These things are happening now, in Black and brown communities across the country, thanks to amazing and inspirational leaders living on the frontlines of climate change and campaigning for justice and 100% clean energy. And you can get inspired by them, laugh with them and ask questions when you watch Climate Curious.On the first show, we’ll tap into the wisdom of elders. South Carolina’s Rev. Leo Woodberry is an OG of the movement who’s taken his message of Justice First all around the world. We’ll also meet badass Afro-indigenous Latinx community leader Elizabeth Yeampierre of Brooklyn, who’s an amazing storyteller.And we’ve got The Hulk! Mark Ruffalo from The Avengers movies is joining us, too. He’s committed to using his celebrity superpowers to spotlight climate justice leaders. Mark co-founded The Solutions Project, which supports frontline groups working for climate justice, especially groups led by people of color and women. Climate Curious will amplify their grantees’ voices and the voices of others working toward a cleaner, safer, more prosperous future.So drop by for great stories, a lot of laughs and a chance to ask questions. Take a deep breath, settle in and join us.____With over a decade of experience in social justice and nonprofit work, Sean A. Watkins is a communications consultant, master storyteller, writer, founder and owner of the Watkins Agency of Joy.‘Climate Curious’ streams Tuesdays at 4 p.m. ET on The Solutions Project’s Facebook and YouTube...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.____Co-written by Rev. Leo Woodberry____See if this sounds familiar: A global threat hits people of color especially hard. But powerful individuals and interest groups either downplay the threat or call it a hoax.And when the evidence that the threat is real becomes overwhelming, claims fly that fixing the problem would cost too much. To quote the president, “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.” So the crisis worsens and its effects multiply, and Black and brown communities suffer most.We’ve seen this with climate change, and now we’re seeing it with the coronavirus. Consider the intersecting paths of these two global threats, which shine a harsh light on the consequences of systemic racism. The coronavirus numbers are shocking. Chicago’s population is 30% African American, but 68% of the city’s known deaths from COVID-19 are Black. In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, African-Americans make up 28% percent of the population, but 73% of deaths related to the coronavirus. In Louisiana, Black people make up 32% of the population, but 70% of the COVID-19 deaths.While the coronavirus may be colorblind, Black Americans are more likely to come down with COVID-19 because they suffer greater rates of asthma and other lung diseases, as well as heart disease and other chronic health issues. This is where climate action comes in: much of Black communities’ vulnerability stems from an energy system that focuses on profit and political power, holding fast to dirty energy options at the expense of the climate and human health. The dirty energy numbers are shocking, too: 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of coal-fired power plants. Black Americans are exposed to 38% more polluted air than white Americans. 71% of Black Americans live in counties that are in violation of clean-air standards. Breathing polluted air weakens the lungs. So it’s hardly surprising that COVID-19, which attacks the lungs, is especially deadly for Black people.And whether we’re talking about a new virus or chronic lung disease aggravated by fossil-fuel pollution, Black families are less likely to have the resources needed to distance themselves from the threat, access quality healthcare or get their lives back on track after an illness. It’s hard to do any of that when you don’t have money saved up, and not only are workers of color much more likely to earn poverty-level wages than white workers, they also have not been given the same opportunities as white Americans to store up generational wealth. A typical Black American family has a net worth that is only about one tenth that of a typical white American family.So from the standpoint of justice — of equitable treatment for all Americans — what do we do about this pandemic, and epidemics that are certain to follow? And how does it link to climate action?First, our hard-working and exhausted healthcare professionals need to be aware of racial disparities in coronavirus treatment that reflect inequities in healthcare more generally. On top of everything else we’re asking them to do, they need to make sure they’re giving every American equal consideration when it comes to scarce medical resources such as coronavirus tests, hospital beds and ventilators. We must also do a better job of consistently collecting data on the race and ethnicity of COVID-19 patients.And of course all of us Americans need to do the basics: stay at home, check on vulnerable neighbors and take physical distancing seriously. We also need to make sure we’re better prepared next time. America needs to rebuild structures such as the National Security Council directorate charged with planning for the next pandemic, an office dissolved by the Trump administration.Of course, the difficult work of dismantling the racial and economic inequities that the coronavirus has so clearly exposed will go on for much longer than the current emergency. And when you’re tackling a problem that immense, it can be hard to see where to start. But we believe climate equity and environmental justice provide a clarifying set of lenses. Here’s the future we envision: Structural changes that put resources in the hands of communities hit hard by the effects of climate change and wounded by our existing unjust energy system. Community-led solutions managed by local agencies run by the people on the front lines — the people who know best how to heal their own communities, and how to forge a path to a more equitable future.We are witnessing a massive global shift to clean, renewable energy that doesn’t pollute and doesn’t cause climate change. This historic shift will have enormous economic, environmental and social consequences. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a clean energy system that spreads its benefits — including healthier air, more affordable energy and  increased wealth — among all the people it serves.As British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said during World War II, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” The coronavirus crisis is highlighting the inequities that the climate crisis is aggravating, and making it blindingly obvious that we must do better. We must build a cleaner, more equitable power system and a safer, more prosperous future —  for all Americans.____Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee representing the 4th District of Virginia. He is the co- founder and co-chair of the Congressional United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force.The Rev. Leo Woodberry is pastor of Kingdom Living Temple in Florence, S.C.; executive director of the New Alpha Community Development Corporation; and a leader of the Justice First...