It’s Getting Hot In Here

That’s right, the EJCC is back at it with Redefining Progress causing a stir all over the place. Whether it’s their report that they just released called “A Climate of Change,” or the new urban radio talk program they’ve got going on. Of course EJCC has a very warm place in my heart with all they do and are up against, and I am so pleased that things seem to be rolling on forward for them.

The first step of disaster prevention efforts is often on the individual or family level, even though a disaster may affect the whole community, region, or state. People are encouraged to set aside emergency supplies to last for three days without electricity or water, including extra equipment such as first aid kits, flashlights, and blankets. For people living in poverty, these basic necessities are often difficult, if not impossible, to keep in reserve, especially if there is hunger in the family. When a disaster is imminent, these same families are sometimes encouraged, but often mandated to evacuate. Yet without a car or adequate transit or evacuation systems, how are they to do so? If they are homeowners, and are uninsured, there may be an incentive to stay and protect their homes.

Kari Fulton, EJCC's Campus Coordinator at the DNC

The excerpt above is from “A Climate of Change” the report written by Nia Robinson, Director of the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC), and J. Andrew Hoerner, the Director of the Sustainable Economics Program at Redefining Progress and it shows the most recent data on how African Americans in particular have been and continue to be disproportionately impacted by the effects of global warming and the pollution that causes it. Just flipping through the report is an incredible experience; it delves into such needed information regarding the energy markets and unemployment, the effects that oil-related wars have on the African American Community, and how disasters, health, and the climate are all inter-related and have an enormous impact. It not only gives us a sense of where we are at and where we have been, but it shines light on how to pro-actively make a difference. And! if in case you’ve been wondering what a just climate policy looks like and how to make sure that any candidate you support or any policy that’s on its way through has all the right elements, check out the guide, “A Climate of Change” has right there for you.

I encourage everyone to download the report and keep it by their bed-side table or their desk so as to always remain conscious of who is most at stake, and how we want to change this world so that all people and all peoples can live in peace with the world and themselves.

Also, keep on the look-out for the new urban radio program EJCC is airing weekly at noon on WCLK 91.9, “The Jazz of the City,” and live online at WCLK.com. This show will feature informative discussions of problems and solutions for healthy, sustainable lifestyles.