Audience: Frontline Communities

Majorities of likely voters support the climate investment and tax incentives of Build Back Better. 70% of all likely voters support investments to make homes, buildings, and schools more energy efficiency (86% support among Democrats, 54% among Republians). 67% support investments in clean energy research. 65% support tax credits for clean energy projects. 63% support clean energy performance incentives for utilities. 62% support investments in frontline communities. 57% support creating a Civilian Climate Corps. 57% support investments to make electric vehicles more affordable. 54% support phasing out coal, oil, and gas.             

Many people communicating for social change are exploring how to tell diverse and inclusive stories that center marginalized communities while building understanding about how inequality persists. Intersectionality is an important tool to help us tell great stories that help us understand systemic issues. Five guiding principles to telling intersectional stories: Show, don’t tell; Provide historical context; Uplift the voices of marginalized people; Tell whole stories; and, Radically reimagine the world.
  

Understanding the root causes of the climate crisis is important when thinking about the type of rigor that is required to organize for social change. The implications of understanding the systems of oppression that have led to climate crisis will inform our response to it, so it is relevant for advocates like us to explore this to ensure we are developing programming that is unapologetic about building the people-power necessary to win. People-power requires we understand how ALL people are affected by the issue at hand.
As we’ve seen the words just and equitable pop up ever more frequently over the last year, I often think about what that means for those who are the most vulnerable to climate disasters. A group of people I seldom hear spoken about are our comrades who are victims of the carceral system. This month we honor Black people and communities who fight for liberation and environmental justice. This month we celebrate Black August.
In this Insight, we will discuss Black August and its importance, racial capitalism and its connection to the climate crisis, the interlocking systems of oppression we face, prisons as sites of environmental justice, and abolition as a path forward.

The past few weeks have rough: from an “eye of fire” in the Gulf of Mexico and record-breaking heat in the West to tropical storm Elsa bearing down on our neighbors in south Florida, who are already mourning.
I’ve been warding off my personal feelings of grief, anger, and despair by doubling down on local activism efforts, and recently hosted the first in-person meeting of our “Green New Deal for Durham” leadership team since COVID.
It was so nice to be with people in three dimensions. We hugged each other and ate snacks. We did not worry about frozen cameras or choppy audio or unmuting. We captured next steps on a real whiteboard. And, I also found myself hyper-aware of the limitations of in-person gatherings, after 18 months of Zoom meetings. Turnout was lower than at our virtual gatherings as folks had to sort childcare, factor in commute time, and assess their personal health risk.
COVID dramatically altered our activism, and not all of the changes were bad. Even as we dip our toes into “post-pandemic” life, the virus continues to ravage communities around the U.S. and the world. This week, we’ll share some reflections and resources to help your organization navigate post-pandemic climate advocacy.
             

This report looks at this process of power building for just transition in four states: California, Kentucky, Louisiana, and New York. We combine an analysis of the pillars of just transition – strong governmental support, dedicated funding streams, diverse coalitions, and economic diversification – with an analysis of how to change power at a state level that focuses on the conditions that impact possibilities, the community-level capabilities that facilitate effective voice, and the arenas in which power is contested.