Climate Adaptation Resources focused on Communities of Color
This tab includes resources that address the disproportionate impacts of climate change for communities of color.
Resources are automatically presented by date. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by resource category, organization type of resource author, impact, jurisdictional focus, state, or region.
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Resource
April 28, 2017
On April 28 2017, the Minneapolis City Council approved a final Resolution establishing a Green Zones policy to facilitate community-led planning in socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the goal of prioritizing city initiatives to combat a range of resiliency challenges. Within Green Zones pilot areas, city officials will work with the community to develop work plans, focused on specific neighborhoods, that will be designed to prioritize initiatives and link city policies on economic development, gentrification, racial equity, and climate resiliency, to achieve an equitable distribution of resources.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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Resource
June 2017
The Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program has developed a strategy to address climate change impacts on water systems while prioritizing the needs of low-income communities. The report describes a set of integrated strategies for how grants and investments can best support climate-resilient and equitable water systems. Recommendations are focused on scaling up green infrastructure, water efficiency, and climate planning to address flooding, storm damage and drought impacts.
Resource Category: Funding
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Resource
May 2017
From the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), this guide is aimed at local government and outlines a framework for designing and implementing a community-driven, equitable climate preparedness planning process. Community-driven planning empowers those experiencing the greatest climate risks to co-define the solutions. Rather than treating equity as a component of climate preparedness planning, this guide suggests that equity should be at the center of any adaptation approach. It outlines why traditional planning falls short of supporting equity, describes why climate change vulnerability is not evenly spread, and identifies how typical adaptation strategies can be reframed to focus on equity. Throughout the document, examples from cities are presented to showcase real-world applications.
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Authors or Affiliated Users: Tina Yuen , Eric Yurkovich , Beth Altshuler , Lauren Grabowski
Resource Category: Planning
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Resource
May 2017
This paper assesses the diversity of staff and boards of directors among large non-profit organizations and foundations working in the environmental sector. The paper argues that diversity is increasingly important within this sector to broaden the base of constituents, increase focus on environmental justice, and bring in a wider range of perspective to successfully identify solutions to environmental challenges. While this paper is not specifically focused on adaptation, it does discuss findings about diversity within organizations that are working in the adaptation space.
Author or Affiliated User: Maya A. Beasley
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
2016
The Harlem Heat Project is a community-based initiative that began in New York City in the summer of 2016. It combines crowd-sourcing, data reporting, and narrative journalism to tell the story or urban heat islands in New York City. Non-profit journalism and community-based organizations came together to provide low-cost heat sensors to homeowners in "heat-vulnerable" areas of Harlem in New York City. The data was used to tell the story of disproportionate risks to extreme heat for lower-income and communities of color as a result of increasing temperatures from climate change.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
February 15, 2017
This summary report describes the conversations and discussions of participants during a two-day workshop help in April 2016 focusing on on city-level actions that would support social justice goals and better prepare communities for the effects of climate change. The workshop convened nearly 50 thought leaders on equity and climate adaptation, including city officials, representatives of environmental justice and social justice organizations, state and federal partners, and funders who support this work.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Melissa Deas , Jessica Grannis , James DeWeese , Sara Hoverter
Resource Category: Planning
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January 2017
This strategy document is the culmination of a process that began in November 2007 to review and update the Department of Energy (DOE) 1995 Environmental Justice Strategy. The strategy describes DOE’s plan for complying with Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Population (Clinton, 1994). The strategy outlines its objectives to integrate environmental justice into National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementation, minimize climate change impacts on vulnerable people, and comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Resource Category: Planning
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October 27, 2016
This white paper is focused on New York City’s Build it Back program following Hurricane Sandy, highlighting its commitment to equity in the rebuilding of residential neighborhoods. The Sandy Build it Back program set a precedent for local hiring resulting in career-track jobs for low-income Sandy-impacted residents. The paper relates the context and a vision for equity in recovery, describes Build it Back’s primary successes, and offers key lessons learned and areas of improvement.
Resource Category: Solutions
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October 27, 2016
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Justice 2020 Action Agenda (EJ 2020) is the Agency’s environmental justice strategic plan for 2016 to 2020. The plan focuses on the environmental and public health issues for the nation’s minority, low-income, tribal and indigenous populations - and includes information on EPA’s climate justice initiatives. The goals of the agenda are to further integrate environmental justice considerations in all of the Agency’s programs; strengthen EPA’s collaboration with federal, state, tribal, community, and industry partners partners; and demonstrate progress on significant national challenges facing minority and low-income communities.
Resource Category: Planning
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Resource
The National Equity Atlas, created by PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, is an online tool that allows users to find information on demographic changes, racial and economic inclusion, and potential economic gains from racial equity. Data is available for the largest 100 cities, 150 metropolitan regions, and all 50 states in the United States. While this resource does not address climate change, it can provide useful information to frame environmental justice and equity challenges that may be exacerbated by climate change.
Resource Category: Data and tools
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