February is Black History Month, and it is a poignant time to make intentional efforts to understand the intersection between racism and environmental issues in the U.S. and globally. This week, we are sharing The Good Stuff for your dose of climate optimism, The Bad Stuff for your weekly wakeup call, and a timeline of historical movements and moments that shaped environmental racism in the United States. Read on to learn about the latest in the climate movement!

The Good Stuff

Disaster Aid Overhaul: FEMA’s latest update to its Disaster Aid Program stands to benefit those most vulnerable to climate disasters. Black Americans and low-income families are more likely to live in flood zones and have fewer resources to recover from property damage caused by extreme weather. Historically, FEMA’s aid was difficult to access due to a grueling application process which has now been streamlined and simplified. Read more via Inside Climate News.

Optimism over Doomism: In an interview with climate author Hannah Ritchie, she explains that climate optimism “needs to be balanced with a sense of urgency and the need to act. I think [people] are, in some sense, disengaging because they feel like we’re making no progress and we probably won’t make any progress. And this is such a critical time. We need to really get moving on this stuff. This is the worst time for people to disengage and look away. So, for me, the role of optimism is to drive people to actually take action.” Read the whole interview at Vox.

COP29 Committee Cops Major Backlash: After backlash for the exclusion of women from the 2024 climate summit, the COP29 organizing committee added 12 women to the previously all-male panel. Among the women added are Umayra Taghiyeva, the deputy minister of ecology and natural resources, the human rights commissioner, Sabina Aliyeva, and Bahar Muradova, the chair of the state committee on family, women and children’s problems. Read more via The Guardian.

The Bad Stuff

Taking a Toll on our Roads: Climate-caused extreme heat, frequent flooding, and increased freeze and thaw cycles have led to the weakening and erosion of paved roads, causing major cracks and dangerous potholes. Can AI technology reverse and prevent the effects of climate change on roads? Read on via BBC.

Carbon Offset Cookstove Conundrum: Cookstove projects are one of the fastest-growing carbon offset schemes but research finds carbon benefits are vastly overstated– by an average of 1,000%. “A carbon credit market built on exaggerations is destined to fail. Our hope is that the specific recommendations we offer can help make clean cookstoves a trusted source of quality carbon credits,” said Barbara Haya, director of the Berkeley Carbon Trading Project. Read on via The Guardian.

A Drought of Epic Proportions: Millions of people in the Amazon have been affected by an ongoing drought which has led to drinking water shortages, failed crops, and power cuts. The drought also worsened wildfires and heated water temperatures to the point of mass mortality of river life, including the deaths of more than 150 endangered pink river dolphins in a single week. Read more via The Guardian.

Black History Month: A Timeline of Historical Movements and Moments that shaped Environmental Racism in the U.S.

It is up to each of us to bring this history to light as we advocate for a more just and sustainable future for ALL.

Late 1800s: Jim Crow segregation laws led to the establishment of racially segregated neighborhoods in the U.S.

1930s-1960s: Redlining + urban renewal allowed for the concentration of industrial polluting facilities + toxic waste sites in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

1970: NEPA requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of their actions, but does not adequately address the racial disparities in exposure to pollution + access to environmental resources

1978: The Love Canal neighborhood in Niagara Falls, NY becomes a symbol of environmental racism when Black residents suffer from health issues due to hazardous waste buried beneath their homes.

1982: The environmental justice movement is galvanized when Warren County, NC residents protest the disposal of toxic PCBs in their county landfill. The term environmental racism is coined.

1991: First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit takes place in Washington, D.C.

2005: Hurricane Katrina exposes the disproportionate impacts of environmental disasters on historically under-resourced communities.

2020: Communities of color face higher rates of COVID-19 infection + mortality due to longstanding health disparities, limited access to healthcare, + environmental factors such as air pollution.

Present: The climate justice movement continues to address the systemic inequities of environmental racism and advocate for a more just and sustainable future for all.

How will you take action this month and beyond?