Climate Justice/Justicia Climática
Please take our Climate Justice Survey to help shape our work on climate and environmental justice:
Climate Justice is the understanding that we must lead with collective community power and hold decision-makers accountable to eliminate unfair climate impacts on communities like the Duwamish Valley.
The Duwamish Valley’s vulnerability to sea level rise, increasing temperatures and air pollution mean that climate change events will have a great impact on this community than on wealthier and healthier areas in Seattle. DRCC is grow collaborative work to advance climate justice.
Already, climate impacts are creating significant problems in the Duwamish Valley. Yet climate change adaptation planning is just emerging at the community level due to histories of other environmental injustices in the area.
Additionally, the Duwamish Valley is home to five major language communities: Vietnamese, Khmer, Somali, Spanish, and English.
It is crucial that environmental justice and climate adaptation planning engage these communities to promote integrated and holistic environmental benefits.
Our program prioritizes a safe environment, placekeeping, growing meaningful involvement, and elevating community-decision making.
Learn more about how we are promoting health equity and climate justice below:
Clean Air Program
DRCC works with neighbors, community leaders, industry, and government partners to reduce air pollution and air toxics of concern in the Duwamish Valley and South Seattle.
Air pollutants like diesel, toxics and other greenhouse gases can increase allergies, lead to or worsen asthma, and cause respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular disease. In addition, residents of Duwamish Valley living in the South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods face higher levels of pollution than other neighborhoods in Seattle because of their close proximity to major trucking routes and industry, among additional factors.
Rising Temperatures
Extreme heat is caused by a lack of green space, critical tree canopy cover, and severe weather events. These factors can lead to heat-related illness and death, cardiovascular failure, injuries, and mental health impacts.
Through our Clean Air Program, we work with the City, County, State, and Federal government to expand green spaces and tree canopy. Additionally, DRCC and the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps partner with DIRT Corps to complete projects like the Duwamish Valley Industrial Greening Project.
DRCC will continue grow community capacity, youth opportunities, language access and knowledge related to the river, changing climate and environmental issues.
Flooding Relief
In December 2022, the Duwamish River overtopped, flooding several homes in South Park. This unprecedented flooding was linked to several factors including higher-than-average tides, rain runoff, and melting snow, all impacts exacerbated by climate change. Over 30 households were impacted and 18 households were deemed uninhabitable. Many resident families were displaced for over 8 months while their homes underwent demolition, cleaning, and rebuilding; and 8 families were permanently displaced. DRCC is committed to working with neighbors and government partners to prepare for the next flooding event.
Have you heard about our Climate Resilience survey results? Learn more HERE
Community-Decision Making
By elevating community decision-making we work with the community, government and all decision makers, encouraging everyone to make decisions together.
By elevating community concerns related to public safety and climate & environmental justice, we have passed several meaningful laws and rules including:
The Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act
The Climate Commitment Act
The Clean Trucks Rule
Justice 40RWARD
For the Seattle Toxic Tour, DRCC Partnered with WE ACT for Environmental Justice
This storymap helped elevate the climate impacts in the Duwamish Valley to the federal government. The storymap helps to ensure that people living with legacy harms - such as the contamination of the Lower Duwamish Waterway - are prioritized in the national transition to greener sources of energy, cleaner air and water, and economic opportunities.
“We should have the decision-makers support more of the community initiatives and listen to their concerns and act on those concerns”
Additional Resources:
University of WA Duwamish Valley Resilience Planning - Collaborative work - Read more HERE
Framework for Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning - Movement Strategy
Accelerating Just Transition in WA State- Climate Justice Strategies from the Frontlines - Front and Centered
Toolkit for Equitable Climate Resilience: Fostering Community-Led Research and Knowledge, River Network
Causes and Effects of Climate Change | National Geographic
The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment, U.S. Global Change Research Program
Intersections of Climate Justice | Created for Minnesota 350 by teachers and learners in Climate Action Workshop at the College of Saint Benedict and St. John’s University as well as Brigid Mark, Alé Gallardo, Jack Pieper, Danee Voss, Corrie Grosse, Leonardo Cumplida, and Elena Lozano
King County Climate Change Graphics in Arabic, English, Samoan, Chinese, and Spanish
Our People, Our Planet, Our Power | Community Led Research in South Seattle, March 16, Puget Sound Sage & Got Green