Words of Warming
What Is Environmental Racism?
The Biden administration has pledged to address it through federal funding and a new White House council
Words of Warming is a new series from Future Human defining the language of climate change and environmental and climate justice.
Definition of environmental racism
A type of systemic racism in which people of color are forced to live in close proximity to hazardous sites and bear the negative health effects because of racist policies; the lack of action taken to address known health hazards in communities of color; the exclusion of people of color from leadership roles in environmental movements. Communities of color experience environmental racism in many forms, including polluted air, contaminated water, and frontline exposure to the effects of climate change.
The raft of executive orders that President Joe Biden signed on January 27 included actions meant to center the elimination of environmental racism in an ambitious climate plan. In addition to creating new offices focused on environmental justice within several departments, it also pledges to spend 40% of the benefits from federal investments in clean energy and water on disadvantaged communities.
Read more about Biden’s plan to address environmental racism in this analysis from the Washington Post:
