Earth Day 2022 -  Let’s focus on Climate Justice! 

By Paulina López,  DRCC Executive Director 

Earth Day was first envisioned as an opportunity “to shake up the political establishment and  draw national attention to environmental issues through online demonstrations, and advocacy efforts in the traditional environmental scene.  It has since set a historical precedent of community-led advocacy, sparking more meaningful community involvement towards achieving health equity in our communities most harmed by environmental injustices. 

Fast forward 51 years, the tradition of Earth Day remains very much alive but this year especially, government leaders and community activists must use the day to shine a light back on the systemic injustices that have exacerbated to push forward the historic legislation to address environmental and climate  justice.

As we know in the past two years, COVID-19 has hit BIPOC and low-income communities more acutely, with Black, Indigenous, and Latino Americans dying at 2.7 times the rate compared to White counterparts. This story of unequal impact is not new, and has  intersecting roots with pollution and racism running deep, specifically in our BIPOC communities. Here in South Seattle, Duwamish Valley we continue breathing polluted air every day resulting  in the  burden of health inequities and climate change impacts increasing and disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable communities.  

Moreover, systemic racism and social marginalization limit political capital and stifle voices of such communities in resilience planning.   To counter this injustice, equitable approaches to adaptation require centering the voices and needs of those most vulnerable. In our Seattle Duwamish Valley, home to the designated environmental justice communities of South Park and Georgetown, we are already experiencing an “unfair share” of climate change impacts. Over the past several years, flooding events have become more frequent and severe, and the area is expected to be among the city’s hardest hit by sea level rise.  The Duwamish Valley continues to experience more severe health disparities ranging from high rates of heart disease, diabetes, and childhood asthma to a life expectancy eight years shorter than the Seattle average. This also cumulatively impacts our communities  as we are home to Seattle’s Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund Site, three bisecting highways, heavy industry and two airport flight paths, resulting in high exposures to toxic pollution.  

As we are deep in a climate crisis, if we continue to live under environmental racism with the same racist federal, state, and local laws that even encourage polluters to target our communities for generations, making them more vulnerable to climate change. 

For us at DRCC, Earth Day means we are in this together. It means mobilizing every single one of us to solve environmental problems – not just lowering our own individual carbon footprints, but collectively pushing for policy change as well as shifting powers and resources away from the dominant culture. It means a future where our communities and the Earth are healed and thriving. It means trusting people with lived experiences to design solutions that will address the greatest needs within our communities, our people have dignified work, and our government values, respects, and represents us. It means our communities and future generations can thrive. It means eliminating racial inequities and ensuring people of color and Indigenous people are at the forefront of building equitable, democratic systems and policies that work for their communities. We must continue working towards a future where our people are healthy, safe, and resilient, and where everyone has equitable access to the building blocks of opportunity and prosperity.  That looks like a healthy environment free from ecological destruction, with affordable housing for everyone, and good careers based on safe work with livable wages.  This all means we have a lot of work to do collectively!  

In order to continue, climate change solutions must center and benefit those most and disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. If you want to help us fight for the protection of our environment and the empowerment of our community on Earth Day and beyond,  please consider the following specific actions: 

  • Learn more about our Climate Justice Platform and support our Clean Air Program Strategies  - help us advocate to end the drivers of climate change, to eliminate community susceptibility and disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards.

  • Support our work, our movement - Volunteer and Donate!

Paulina Lopez