By: Makenzie J. Morales (she/they), W*SS Graduate Assistant
Hello, Spartans! I hope you are all enjoying the sun and taking moments for yourself as we push through the final weeks of the semester. As Earth Day is only three days away, this week’s Thought of the Day will highlight several environmental justice initiatives and environmental topics to look out for in 2023.
Environmental justice is “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2023, para. 1). Over three decades worth of research confirms marginalized communities are disproportionately exposed to and impacted by pollution, hazardous waste sites, food deserts, lead poisoning, and other harmful environmental exposures (Horne et al., 2022). Environmental justice is social justice and we all deserve access to clean drinking water, clean air, and protection from racist environmental regulations that place marginalized communities at risk. Therefore, it is important for social justice activists to be knowledgeable on current environmental justice fights and advocate for policies, laws, and regulations that forward social justice efforts.
Tigue et al. (2023) draw attention to the unprecedented federal funding directed to communities hit hardest by the effects of climate change, namely low-income families and communities of color. In 2022, lawmakers dedicated nearly $50 billion in federal spending to advancing environmental justice efforts, marking the “single largest federal investment in the fight to close the nation’s persistent racial and socioeconomic disparities” (Tigue et al., 2023, para. 4). With this unprecedented funding and environmental movements gaining needed momentum, environmental justice advocates maintain optimism about the potential changes 2023 (and beyond) may bring for environmental policies in the U.S.
As environmental justice advocates and organizations finalize plans for utilizing federal spending, the implementation of the Justice40 initiative remains key for lawmakers. The Biden-Harris campaign ran on promises of heightened investment in environmental justice efforts. The Justice40 initiative directs “40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution” (White House, 2022, para. 1). While the logistics of the initiative remain relatively unknown to the public, activists are pressuring the Biden administration to move forward with implementation and enforcement of the initiative before the 2024 Presidential Election. With Justice40 under attack by some Republican legislatures and the 2024 Presidential Election fast approaching, the potential of 2023 marks an unprecedented opportunity to bring environmental justice to the forefront of social justice efforts.
Local and state governments significantly dictate how money received from the federal government is spent. Therefore, if the Justice40 initiative funding is released to the states, voters and activists must hold their state and local governments accountable to properly invest funding to low-income communities and communities of color. We cannot let this moment pass us by, so this Earth Day, I challenge you all to educate yourselves on current environmental policies (federal, state, and local), and make a plan for your place in the fight to implement the Justice40 initiative.
References:
Environmental Protection Agency. (2022). Environmental justice. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice
Tigue, K., Campa, A., & Davis, Darreonna. (2023). Six environmental justice policy fights to watch in 2023. Inside Climate News. Retrived from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19012023/environmental-justice-policy-2023/
Van Horne, Y.O., Alcala, C.S., & Peltier, R.E. (2023). An applied environmental justice framework for exposure science. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 33, 1-11.
White House. (2022). Justice40: A whole-of-government initiative. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/
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