Issue: Environmental/Climate Justice

“Having this electric school bus is the confirmation that things happen because this community has power. I hope community leaders find the strategies to continue to activate that power.” – Teo Argueta, Chispa Arizona
Activists from Chispa Arizona won a huge victory this summer, when the Cartwright School District in Phoenix, Arizona purchased its first electric school bus — one step toward cleaner air for a county where thousands of Latinos are impacted by some of the country’s worst air pollution.
This week, as Latinx communities celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) and mark the 4-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria making landfall in Puerto Rico, we share research and reflections on how Latinos are building power for climate action in their communities.

Climate change is a major motivator to support clean energy among civically engaged Latinos. A survey of supporters of the Latino civic engagement organization Mi Familia Vota Education Fund found that climate was as or more often rated as an “extremely important” rationale for moving to 100% clean energy cities than any other reason, including the job benefits it could produce. Additionally, neither school systems nor city government emerged as an obviously more attractive campaign target when survey respondents were asked about their familiarity with and confidence in influencing these two institutions (i.e., “efficacy” beliefs). This research was conducted as part of a field research grant to Climate Parents from the Climate Advocacy Lab.

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.