Diversity & �The Climate Movement

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Presentation Slides: http://cclusa.org/�diversity-climate

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Format: Presentation and then time for Q&A

About Our Speaker

Clara Fang

CCL Higher Education Coordinator

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PhD student Environmental Studies

Antioch University

Learning Goals

Understand #2

Why has the climate movement not been diverse?

Take Action #3

What can we do to be more diverse and inclusive?

Highlight #1

Why is diversity important for climate change?

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Our Agenda

The challenge of diversity

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Benefits of diversity

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Perceptions of climate change

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Barriers of history and culture

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Recommendations, case studies

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Resources, references

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The Challenge Of Diversity

Non-white people are already 40% of the U.S. population, and expected to be half of the population by 2042.

The U.S. is Experiencing a Profound Demographic Shift

People of color in the United States are the hardest hit from the effects of climate change.

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Image from: https://www.reuters.com/article/environment-neworleans-katrina-climate-d-idUSN2933025320070829

100-200%

71%

90%

More heat related deaths among African Americans

African Americans living in counties in violation of federal air pollution standards (compared to 58% for whites)

Increase in heat related deaths due to climate change

Shepherd, M. (2013, February 11). Are African-Americans more vulnerable to climate change? Ebony. Retrieved from https://www.ebony.com/news/are-africanamericans-more-vulnerable-to-climate-change-352

People Of Color Are Underrepresented �in Environmental Organizations

Image from: Taylor, D. (2014, July). The state of diversity in environmental organizations. Retrieved from https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/els/files/2014/02/FullReport_Green2.0_FINALReducedSize.pdf.

People Of Color Tend to Be Less Civically Engaged on Climate Change

Image from: Dobard, J., Engie, K., Ramakrishnan, K., & Shah, S. (2016, June). Unequal voices: California’s racial disparities in political participation. Retrieved from https://docplayer.net/23370074-Unequal-voices-california-s-racial-disparities-in-political-participation.html.

People Of Color Tend to Be Less Civically Engaged on Climate Change

Image from: Dobard, J., Engie, K., Ramakrishnan, K., & Shah, S. (2016, June). Unequal voices: California’s racial disparities in political participation. Retrieved from https://docplayer.net/23370074-Unequal-voices-california-s-racial-disparities-in-political-participation.html.

Benefits Of Diversity

People of Color Voters are Increasingly Determining Outcomes of Elections

Image from: https://www.lwvcga.org/how-safe-are-georgias-elections/

Reported Benefits of Diversity to Organizations

Image from: Beasley, M. (2017). Beyond Diversity: A Roadmap to Building an Inclusive Organization (p. 29). Retrieved from Green 2.0 website: https://www.diversegreen.org/beyond-diversity/

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Reported Benefits of Diversity to the Environmental Sector

Image from: Beasley, M. (2017). Beyond Diversity: A Roadmap to Building an Inclusive Organization (p. 29). Retrieved from Green 2.0 website: https://www.diversegreen.org/beyond-diversity/

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Environmental Organizations Risk Becoming Irrelevant

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Without support of POC, the environment risks being marginalized as a “white, upper-middle class, suburban, boutique-y” issue that doesn’t speak to the reality of the vast majority of people in the US and around the world.” (Park 2009)

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“Talented people who do not identify with the dominant culture will feel undervalued, unappreciated, burned out, and leave the organization or the movement all together.” (Bonta 2008)

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Perceptions Of Climate Change

POC Support Climate Action More Than Whites

People of Color Are Concerned about Climate Change

People of Color Support Climate Action

1. People of color in the United States perceive greater risks for threats posed by climate change and nuclear power generation than whites, even when controlled for age, gender, household income, education, political views, and rural/urban place of residence.
2. They also expressed more concern about these two topics than they did for more localized issues such as air pollution from industry and transportation.
3. Higher household income predicts significantly lower odds of perceiving risk, and higher educational attainment is associated with greater risk.�

Source: Macias, T. (2016) Environmental risk and perception among race and ethnic groups in the United States. Ethnicities, 16(1), 111-129.

Perceptions of Risk & Concern

First Last

African Americans

• African-Americans as a group emit 20 percent less GHGs than whites and nearly 18 percent less than all Americans.
• They are the most impacted
• Show higher levels of concern on climate change
• Have deep networks for activism. �

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First Last

Latinos

• Fastest growing segment of US population.
• Have ties to countries severely impacted by climate change.
• 66% of English speaking Latinos and 77% of Spanish speaking Latinos are alarmed or concerned about climate change.
• 79% of Alarmed Spanish speaking Latinos are very willing to participate in actions to address it.

First Last

Latinos

First Last

Latinos

First Last

Asians

• Asian Americans have the highest average income and education level of all minority groups within the United States.
• Show the highest levels of concern for climate change and support for policies aimed at mitigating climate change of all racial and ethnic subgroups (Speiser & Krygsman, 2014).
• 76% of Asian Americans support setting stricter emissions limits to power plants in order to address climate change (National Asian American Survey of 2016).
• Global climate change is predicted to overwhelmingly affect Asian countries. Ten of the top 12 most at risk countries are in Asia (Climate Central). �

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First Last

Native Americans

1. As people that still rely on subsistence ways of living, they have been the first to experience the impacts of climate change and are the most devastated

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• Native Americans have also borne the brunt of the burden from fossil fuel development, from extraction to transportation, refining and waste.

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• Even climate solutions have negative consequences for Native Americans: carbon pricing, nuclear energy, carbon storage.

Tom Goldtooth (Navajo/Dakota), executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network

Image From: https://bioneers.org/truth-telling-and-movement-making-introducing-the-2017-bioneers-indigenous-forum/

First Last

Native Americans

• Native Americans leaders in the climate movement.

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• Faith Spotted Eagle led the fight opposing KXL and Dakota Access pipelines.

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• Participation in international negotiations.

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Faith Spotted Eagle

Image From: https://www.bustle.com/articles/201032-who-is-faith-spotted-eagle-the-no-dapl-protest-leader-received-an-electoral-college-vote

Barriers Of History & Culture

Beginning of the U.S. Conservation Movement

Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, and John Muir-- elite, white, wealthy men who wanted to preserve their hunting, fishing, and hiking grounds.

Early environmental organizations--the Boone and Crockett Club, Sierra Club, and Audubon Society-- social clubs for wealthy people that enjoyed the outdoors.

Image From: https://www.switchbacktravel.com/americas-top-10-conservation-heroes

Early Environmental Organizations

• Socially homogeneous and exclusionary.
• Excluded membership from women, people of color, and those they considered belonging to an inferior social-economic class.
• Beneficiaries of capitalism, institutional racism, and patriarchy.
• Uninterested in addressing social inequalities like slavery, the oppression of women, and the abuse of labor.

Beginning of U.S. Environmental Movement

1. Began with Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and first Earth Day in 1970
2. Took on pesticide use, air pollution, toxic wastes, nuclear energy.
3. Recognized that communities of color suffered a greater proportion of environmental ills.
4. Grassroots environmental movement vs “mainstream” environmental organizations founded during the conservation movement.

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Image From: https://lettuce.fm/blog/sustainability/a-story-of-earth-day/

Group of 10

January 21, 1981: meeting of executive directors of ten mainstream environmental organizations

Included:

(groups that met with Congress, corporate representatives)

Excluded:

(advocacy and apolitical groups)

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POC Perceived as Not Caring about Environmental Issues

• A 1972 study of 1500 environmental volunteers nationwide found that 98% of them were White (Zinger, Dalsemer, & Magargle, H. 1972 in Taylor 2014).
• Other studies focused on participation in outdoor activities found that Whites were more likely to go camping, hiking, skiing, swimming etc. in public parks, forests and wilderness areas than people of color(Taylor 2014).
• Unfortunately this fostered the perception that minorities are not interested in the environment.

Prejudices in Hiring

Environmental organizations practice insular hiring practices that lead to racial bias.

Internships don’t lead to hires. �

Dr. Dorceta Taylor, University of Michigan School of Sustainability

Corporate recruiters seek out the best students, whereas environmental organizations tend to wait for the stars to come to them

1 out of 5

Discrimination in Hiring

Blacks faced discrimination in

Interviews and were denied job offers

20%

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of the time.

In comparison to Whites,

Blacks and Latinos of equal credentials received

25%

fewer job interviews and

34%

fewer job offers.

Discriminatory employers also offer higher salaries and higher status positions to Whites.

Problem of Framing

“To many environmental justice activists, most climate activists are primarily concerned with addressing the technological challenges of climate change. They frame climate change in terms of a scientific problems, determine solutions, and inform the public. They tend to overlook the ways in which climate change is linked to historical exploitation and injustice, and they are not aware always of the ways in which their own attitudes and approaches keep potential partners at bay” (Park 2009). ��

Technical solutions:

Solar panels

Hybrid cars

Energy-efficient AC

Real problems:

No clean air/water

Unemployment

Police brutality

Mass incarceration

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Disconnect

EJ activists sometimes do not feel that they’re treated as equal partners on climate change

We frame climate change in terms of impacted communities--what the facilities look like, health impacts, access to health or water or jobs. Reflected back to us, we are told that all we care about is local impacts and since carbon is global, our focus is misplaced, at best, or irrelevant, at worst.�

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Sometimes, it’s a tone and the patronizing attitudes, not just the words. And it really doesn’t help to pat somebody on the head.

There’s a feeling or assumption that Native people or people of color who live in impoverished communities aren’t smart enough to come up with real solutions to our energy and climate problems.

-Pamela Dashiell

-Jihan Gearon

- Angela Johnson Meszaros

Build A Just & Inclusive �Climate Movement

What Can I Do?

What can you do?

• Become educated
• Read Clara’s report on diversity
• Join the People of the Global Majority caucus (on CCL Community)
• Get to know people of color in your own community
• Be an ally
• When a person of color comes to CCL, be their friend
• Help them get involved
• Fundraise for them to come to the conferences
• Become allies with people of color based organizations
• Learn before you try to teach

What you should not do

• Assume that people of color don’t understand about climate change or don’t care.
• Try to get people on board with your solution before you understand their priorities.
• Go where you are not invited.
• Assume that if you open doors people will come.
• Assume that it’s other people’s responsibility.

Image from ThisIsZerohour.org

Step 3: Apply Your CCL Skills

• Research and learn about those groups
• Attend their meetings and try to support them for a while
• Connect climate change with their concerns and priorities
• Tell them about our people of the global majority initiatives
• For Spanish, invite them to our website climavivible.org

Image from: https://twitter.com/thisiszerohour/status/1106882356584112130

Other Places to Find Diversity

• Table at farmers’ markets
• Libraries and community centers
• Neighborhood associations
• Street fairs
• Cultural days & language schools
• Colleges and universities

Image from: https://uvfm.org/

Resources

1. CCL PGM Caucus Resources Folder
2. Green 2.0
3. Center for Diversity and the Environment
4. Diversity Matters, LLC
5. EJ Leadership Forum on Climate Change
6. Center for Whole Communities
7. Hollins, Caprice, and Ilsa Govan. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Strategies for Facilitating Conversations on Race. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015.
8. Bendl, Regine, Inge Bleijenbergh, Elina Henttonen, and Albert J. Mills, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Diversity in Organizations. Reprint edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
9. Triana, María. Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective. 1 edition. New York: Routledge, 2017.

Database of Fabulous Leaders: A Resource

• A one-stop-site for speakers, consultants, potential hires, board members, advisory group and steering committee members.
• Database was designed to specifically address and eliminate the age old lamentation, “but I couldn’t find any people of color.”

People Of Color in Environmental & Climate Justice

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Image From: https://www.borderpartnership.org/uploads/7/8/6/4/78643774/2018_nov_sdfabc_binder1.pdf

Most Important Works Cited

• Bonta, M. & Jordan, C. (2007). Diversifying the American conservation movement. In Enderle, E. (Ed.), Diversity and the Future of the US Environmental Movement (13-34). New Haven, CT: Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Retrieved from http://cdeinspires.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/BontaJordan_DiversifyingEnvironmentalMovement.pdf.
• D5 Coalition. (2015). Final state of the work: Stories from the movement to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Retrieved from http://www.d5coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/D5-SOTW-2016-Final-web-pages.pdf.
• Dowie, M. (1996). Losing ground. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Drake, B. (2015, January 15). How Americans view the top energy and environmental issues. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/01/15/environment-energy-2/.
• Herring, C. & Henderson, L. (2014). Diversity in organizations: A critical examination. New York City, NY: Routledge.
• Leiserowitz, A., & Akerlof, K. (2010). Race, ethnicity, and public responses to climate change. Retrieved from https://climateaccess.org/system/files/Leiserowitz_Race%20Ethnicity%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdf.
• Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., & Cutler M. (2018, Jun 14). Latinos and global warming’s six Americas. Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication. Retrieved from http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/latinos-and-global-warmings-six-americas/.

• Macias, T. (2016) Environmental risk and perception among race and ethnic groups in the United States. Ethnicities, 16(1), 111-129.
• Park, A. (2009). Everybody’s movement: Environmental justice and climate change. Retrieved from https://kresge.org/sites/default/files/Everybodys-movement-climate-social-justice.pdf.
• Pearson, A. R., Ballew, M. T., Naiman, S., & Schuldt, J. P. (2017) Race, class, gender and climate change communication. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.412.
• Schuldt, J. P. & Pearson, A. R. (2016). The role of race and ethnicity in climate change polarization: Evidence from a US national survey experiment. Climate Change, 136(3-4), 295-505.
• Silveira, S. J. (2001). The American environmental movement: Surviving through diversity. Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, 28(2-3), 497-532.
• Taylor, D. (2014, July). The state of diversity in environmental organizations. Retrieved from https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/els/files/2014/02/FullReport_Green2.0_FINALReducedSize.pdf.
• Taylor, D. (2016). The rise of the American conservation movement: Power, privilege, and environmental protection. Durham, NC: Duke University Press Books.
• Taylor, D. (2018, January 25). Diversity in environmental organizations reporting and transparency. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24588.00649.

Conclusion

1. Environmental organizations, including CCL, currently have a gap in their diversity, presenting a huge opportunity.
2. Diversity is a huge challenge and to be successful requires commitment, strategy, and resources.
3. This commitment to diversity is everybody’s responsibility and should be integrated into our work as CCL chapters.

The Heart of the Matter

�Write detail to avoid covering up faces.

�“The passion of people that see themselves as having the most at stake in the issue is what creates transformative change that reverberates throughout society.”

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--Angela Park, 2009�

What Does It Mean To Be Diverse?

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“It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.”

Diversity encompasses acceptance and respect.

Acting on diversity means “building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all forms of discrimination.”

Distinctions among Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

D5 Coalition. (2015). Final state of the work: Stories from the movement to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Retrieved from http://www.d5coalition.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/04/D5-SOTW-2016-Final-webpages.pdf.

Something to think about...

�Recommended Reading: �“Diversity Is Not Enough And, Done Alone, It Can Be Counterproductive”. Feb, 2017, HuffPost�

“Engage in a process that fosters institution wide commitment to anti-oppression/anti-racism. As recruitment occurs and people of color join the organization, ensure that there are checkpoints along the way to ensure that the person(s) is being heard and supported as well as encouraging/supporting caucusing by people of color within your organization and with other organizations, for peer support and exchanging lessons on best practices in addressing challenges and optimizing gains”.

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Jacqueline Patterson

Director, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program

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Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

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6.

5.

4.

2.

Leadership

Education

Partnerships

Outreach

Youth Engagement

3.

Recruitment and Retention

First Last

Leadership:

Sierra Club

To succeed in standing up to those who don't care what happens to our planet, we need the help of everyone who does. The environmental movement, and the Sierra Club, can and should recognize and welcome the participation of the people most affected by injustice, environmental or otherwise.

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--Michael Brune, Executive Director

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The Sierra Club trained almost 700 staff and 150 volunteers during its Growing for Change workshop.

Image From: https://www.sierraclub.org/planet/2017/08/answering-how-question-your-own-journey-equity-inclusion-and-justice

Education

First Last

Recruitment and Retention:

Denny’s

The company implemented a four-fold approach:

• Educate and train the workforce, at all levels, to value and manage diversity.
• Systematically eliminate all structures that impede inclusion and create structures that foster diversity.
• Monitor, measure, and report results on a regular basis to highest levels of the organization.
• Tie reward and recognition systems to diversity progress. ���

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https://www.dennys.com/diversity/community-involvement/post/2015-10-13-bet-college-tour-2014/

Create Equitable Partnerships

Image From: https://earthjustice.org/features/teleconference-2016-election-environment

Image From: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/sce-authors/u1889/Calusa%20Group%20Newsletter%20Spring%202017.pdf

Step 1: Learn About Your Local Community

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Look at your county’s diversity

• Factfinder.census.gov
• Look for table B03001: Hispanic or Latino origin by specific origin
• Where you can go to: consulates, chambers of commerce, community centers

Step 1: Learn About Your Local Community

In West Palm Beach, 23% of my community identify as Latino

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LULAC & NAACP

LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic organization and the NAACP is the largest organization for people of color in the US.

Look up their local councils here:�lulac.org & naacp.org

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CULTURAL CENTERS

Most cities have very active organizations and programs locally.

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LOCAL CHURCHES

Many outreach teams are present in local churches.

LIBRARIES

Many local libraries have an entire programs in Spanish to cater to a very active community.

LOCAL CHAMBERS

Many communities have specific and diverse local chambers of commerce

Step 2: Find Your Local Groups

Something to think about...

One thing they can do is to create true and equitable partnerships, entering the space with humility, listening to understand, not starting with your agenda. Start by listening to their work and their agenda and using your creativity to understand how your work can really support theirs. If there’s an opportunity to work together, continue to step back with your leadership. Get to the space of co-creation.

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Marcelo Bonta, DEI consultant

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Step 4: Report Back To Us

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• We want to know who you are engaging with so we can help each other
• Send an email to: espanol@citizensclimatelobby.org or karina.ramirez@citizensclimatelobby.org
• Media: we have a national Spanish-language media list that we update every couple of months

Action Teams & Resources

• Spanish Language Material - The portal has been recently updated with new flyers and brochures
• English description so that you know what you are downloading

Action Teams

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• People of the Global Majority Caucus
• Latinos
• Climate & Culture
• Chinese
• LGBTQ+

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Thank You!

Clara Fang email: clara.fang@citizensclimatelobby.org

Questions? Ask on the Energy Innovation Act Forum: http://cclusa.org/energy-innovation-act-forum

www.citizensclimatelobby.org

CCL’s Action Teams can help you reach out to different communities

Being well intentioned will go a long way, but to diversify requires investing in long term relationships. Keep showing up.

Do your research. You know your community better than anyone else. Branch out, who are you not talking to? Why aren’t they at your meeting?

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You can help us: recommend someone to our team at espanol@citizensclimatelobby.org

Join us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @CCLespanol

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