Our environment is not limited to the natural world of oceans and forests. It extends to where we live, work, play, and worship. It includes the air that we breathe and the resources available to our communities, as well as the health hazards caused by environmental toxins and degradation.

The Environmental Justice movement is based on the knowledge that environmental racism exists and that a clean environment for all is a human right. To combat environmental justice effectively, there must be freedom from discrimination in policy making and the placement of toxic facilities.

Along with economic equity and environmental protection, environmental justice is a guiding principle in the development of our policies and indicators.

Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative

Redefining Progress hosts and is a member of the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC), a diverse, consensus-based group of U.S. environmental justice, climate justice, religious, policy, and advocacy groups that represent hundreds of communities across the country.

The EJCC addresses climate change as an issue of human rights and environmental justice. Global warming impacts human lives—particularly people of color, low-income families, and indigenous communities. It compromises their health and causes unjust financial burdens and social and cultural disruptions. Moreover, those who are most affected are least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that cause the problem—both globally and within the United States.

The EJCC organizes national and international action for just climate change policies, educates young people about the science of climate change, and trains them to become activists in their communities. EJCC provides support to environmental justice organizations throughout the country as they incorporate climate change into their struggles for environmental justice.

For more information about the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, visit www.ejcc.org.

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Photo courtesy of Mary Begemann