Ayana Elizabeth Johnson wrote a thought-provoking editorial for the Washington Post discussing the intersection of racism and the climate crisis.
In the editorial, Johnson wrote:
The sheer magnitude of transforming our energy, transportation, buildings and food systems within a decade, while striving to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions shortly thereafter, is already overwhelming. And black Americans are disproportionately more likely than whites to be concerned about—and affected by—the climate crisis. But the many manifestations of structural racism, mass incarceration and state violence mean environmental issues are only a few lines on a long tally of threats. How can we expect black Americans to focus on climate when we are so at risk on our streets, in our communities, and even within our own homes?
When racism or economic despair (e.g. France’s “Yellow Vest” protests) make day-to-day living precarious, people do not have the energy or motivation to solve long-term problems like climate change. Thus, those of us who care about the health of the planet cannot think of environmental issues in a vacuum—as the Triple Bottom Line argues, social, economic, and environmental issues are intricately woven.
Here is a link to the article, which might be behind a paywall.