Protecting Clean Air, Standing Up to Polluters
When it comes to climate change and pollution, people of color and low-income neighborhoods are on the front lines. Sixty-eight percent of African Americans live within 30 miles of a polluting coal plant, and one in six black kids suffers from asthma. The Obama administration is working to clean up our air and fight climate change through measures like the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. But big polluting industries are waging a war on clean air safeguards. We’re standing up to them—and we need your help.
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Climate action leaders are talking about what we can do as
people of color and low-income communities. Want to know more?
Watch clips from our National Forum.
Speaking Up, Shaping Solutions
People of color and low-income folks are not only on the front lines of climate change and social inequality—they stand to gain tremendously from efforts to fight pollution. If carbon-cutting initiatives are handled thoughtfully, they can right the ship—creating jobs, economic opportunity, and stability in communities that have been beaten down by years of racism, divestment, and poverty.
We’re working to ensure that the Americans hit hardest by pollution have a voice in the conversation on climate change. We’re shaping solutions—like state carbon pricing measures that make polluters pay and then direct billions of dollars to green solutions and opportunities in disadvantaged communities.
Watch! Vien Truong, Green For All National Director, joins HuffPo Live to discuss the historic Clean Power Plan right after it was unveiled by the Obama administration.
Thriving in the Face of Climate Change
When it comes to storms and severe weather, those with the fewest resources have a harder time preparing, escaping, and recovering. African Americans, who are more likely to live in coastal areas, are at greater risk for displacement from flooding and sea level rise. They’re also more vulnerable to heat-related deaths, which are expected to increase by 90 percent. Meanwhile, climbing food costs, crime, and illness from climate change are all expected to hit people of color and the poor hardest. Climate resilience strategies—and investments—must address this gap.
We also need to think bigger about what it means to be resilient in the face of climate change. Our communities need to leap forward, not just bounce back. Climate planning and investments should leave local economies stronger, more inclusive, and healthier than before.
Leading Change
These twelve climate champions are leading climate change solutions. Read their stories!
Clean Power is making news!
The fight for the Clean Power Plan and equitable climate change is making news. Check out these articles that look at climate change from the perspective of those fighting for health, wealth, and opportunity for communities of color and low-income communities.