Issue: Environmental/Climate Justice

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls – including new polling on recent hurricanes and the government’s disaster response, new polling on renewable energy and grid expansion, and new state polls about energy issues in Pennsylvania, California, and Texas.

We are thrilled to share this week’s newsletter with Philly Thrive, one of our 2024 Climate Justice Micrograntees. Philly Thrive is based in the Grays Ferry neighborhood in Philadelphia and has worked for nearly a decade to correct environmental injustices in South Philly, primarily related to the PES oil refinery. In 2020, they successfully closed it down. Read on for reflections from Philly Thrive’s organizers on and check out their video series chronicling lessons learned through their Right to Breathe Campaign.

Earlier this month, I traveled to Lumberton, NC for the North Carolina Climate Justice Collective (NCCJC)’s quarterly convening of Resiliency Organizing Hub leaders. The Lumberton area was hit by devastating floods from back-to-back hurricanes in 2017 and 2018, displacing thousands and prompting critical conversations about how to build both more resilient infrastructure and more resilient communities.
In the face of worsening, climate-fueled extreme weather and the ongoing threat of extractive industries, local organizations like the Robeson County Cooperative for Sustainable Development (RCCSD) are providing direct relief, pushing for a more “just recovery,” and organizing people to “fight the bad” and “build the good.” (Bonus content: Check out RCCSD’s climate justice microgrant project, detailing lessons learned from the successful campaign to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline*!)
NCCJC is one of the Lab’s newest strategic partners, and we’ve had the privilege of working closely together over the past year in support of their place-based organizing work! In this week’s newsletter, we’re excited to share more information about NCCJC’s Resiliency Organizing Hub and anchor organizations, as well as some reflections and early learnings from our partnership work so far.