EARTH DAY
Community consultation and prioritization of environmental justice concerns must be key to elements of any permitting process. Communities that are already burdened with a heavier pollution load should not be asked to take on more. Finally, the reality of climate change adds a dimension to achieving environmental justice that was not contemplated when the Executive Order 12898 was adopted. Environmental justice communities are and will continue to be the ones that disproportionately bear the burden of climate change. We cannot pretend this is not true, and we must act now with that knowledge in mind. The new US administration has expressed a commitment to achieve environmental justice while it reduces pollution and creates a just transition to a new green energy economy. Its actions on environmental justice can leave no community behind and we must hold the administration accountable to restore justice, equity, opportunity and the earth. With the appointment
of Michael Regan to lead the EPA, environmental justice may finally get its due.
In order to Restore Our Earth, climate change solutions must centre and benefit those most disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation and climate change.
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