Articles
Curbing Pollution in Frontline Communities
Across the United States, Black, Indigenous, and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental health disparities. Environmental health disparities exist when communities exposed to a combination of poor environmental quality and social inequities have more sickness and disease than wealthier, less polluted communities. Many of these environmental health problems and disparities are…
Navigating Climate Disinfo in the Digital Age
The origins of climate change disinformation that contradicts the science behind the climate crisis can be traced back to fossil fuel companies and their decades of climate denial campaigning. That’s just one of many findings from a recently published study by Boston University’s Climate Disinformation Initiative, “Data and Misinformation in an Era of Sustainability and…
Tea Time with Just Solutions: Fostering Learning & Sharing with Environmental Justice Advocates
In the relentless pursuit of environmental justice, dedicated leaders and practitioners often find themselves expending a tremendous amount of energy, mental fortitude, and personal capacity. The passionate individuals at the forefront of this crucial movement frequently encounter exhaustion, frustration, and the daunting challenges of an ever-expanding scope of issues. Amidst the continuous demands, it is…
National Environmental Policy Act: Recommendations for environmental justice
Earlier this summer, the federal Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that could get us closer to analyzing climate change impacts, addressing the concerns of environmental justice communities, and uplifting the role of Tribal governments. Most notable are revisions that reinstate many of NEPA’s principles and functions…
LGBTQ History Month: Intersectionality with Climate Justice
October is LGBTQ History Month. As a queer and nonbinary person from the South, honoring and preserving my community’s history is more important than ever as attempts to suppress our civil rights increase in places like Florida, which I call home. While many people are perhaps more familiar with Pride Month in June with parades…
Community-Created Solutions to Climate Vulnerability and Resilience: A Case Study in Six Frontline Communities
Using a case study approach in six frontline communities, Just Solutions has developed a Prioritizing Frontline Communities Framework that assesses the “pre-existing” economic, health, and infrastructure conditions that affect the capacity of these communities to cope with, prepare for, and respond to climate change and to participate equitably in the transition to a clean energy…
Implications of AMI for Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates
Introduction Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates have been touted as a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that will deliver benefits to low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. The program allocates about $4.3 billion to the states to provide up to $14,000 in point-of-sale rebates to eligible households. Eligible purchases include certain appliance upgrades (including…
Introducing “Just Solutions: Collective Stories”
At the very core of the Just Transition Principles is prioritizing people, communities, and relationships over profit and self-interest. Environmental racism and the climate crisis are ultimately the result of systemic oppression that lacks care for the lives affected by the pursuit of power and control. This is why the empowerment of frontline communities is…
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Climate Action Plan, Reviewed
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Climate Action Plan, Reviewed President Biden’s January 2021 Executive Order 14008 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad) spurred the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to lay out their own Climate Action Plan in November of 2021. The goal of this plan is to ‘address…
EPA’s Carbon Pollution Standards: Equity Recommendations from Just Solutions
For decades, the burning of fossil fuels at power plants has resulted in adverse public health outcomes for some of the most environmentally-overburdened communities in our country. Black, Indigenous, communities of color and low-income communities breathing in the pollution from these facilities experience disproportionate rates of heart and lung diseases, asthma, bronchitis, a greater number…
