Washington, D.C. - Dr.
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv and Climate
Power 2020 advisory board member, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post calling
for the climate movement to recognize the connection between systemic
racism and the climate crisis. With extreme weather disasters and
pollution disproportionately impacting communities of color, Dr. Johnson
laid out the need for the climate movement to put environmental justice
at the core of its fight against climate change.
Key sections below:
Toni Morrison said it best, in a 1975 speech: “The very serious function
of racism … is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps
you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being.” As
a marine biologist and policy nerd, building community around climate
solutions is my life’s work. But I’m also a black person in the United
States of America. I work on one existential crisis, but these days I
can’t concentrate because of another.
***
People of color disproportionately bear climate impacts, from
storms to heat waves to pollution. Fossil-fueled power plants and
refineries are disproportionately located in black neighborhoods,
leading to poor air quality and putting people at higher risk for
coronavirus.
***
But this other intersection of race and climate doesn’t get
talked about nearly enough: Black Americans who are already committed to
working on climate solutions still have to live in America, brutalized
by institutions of the state, constantly pummeled with images, words and
actions showing just us how many of our fellow citizens do not, in
fact, believe that black lives matter. Climate work is hard and
heartbreaking as it is. Many people don’t feel the urgency, or balk at
the initial cost of transitioning our energy infrastructure, without
considering the cost of inaction. Many fail to grasp how dependent
humanity is on intact ecosystems. When you throw racism and bigotry in the mix, it becomes something near impossible.
Look, I would love to ignore racism and focus all my attention
on climate. But I can’t. Because I am human. And I’m black. And ignoring
racism won’t make it go away.
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