The Executive Order for Environmental Justice Equivalency
On Friday April 21, 2023, an executive order Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All was signed by President Biden. The White House press release stated the order is working to ensure that all people – regardless of race, background, income, ability, Tribal affiliation, or zip code – can receive help from the vital safeguards enshrined in our nation’s foundational environmental and civil rights law. The order establishes a new White House Office of Environmental Justice will collaborate efforts across the government. The expansion of interagency communication is meant to increase accountability and transparency in federal environmental justice policy.
Vulnerability to Climate Change is affected by many factors putting specific people or groups at higher risk stemming from existing inequities in society. Racialized populations and poverty-stricken areas in large urban centers have less access to green spaces. Green spaces help with the urban heat island effect while improving community health. Most people who face outsized health and climate vulnerabilities from concentrated pollution sources are people of color and low-income households. With lower income areas being next to industrial sites, the order will require federal agencies to alert nearby communities in case of toxic substances leaks and spills from federal facilities, and to hold a public assembly sharing precautions and health risks.
Earlier this year, Mayor Andre Dickens and Chief Sustainability Officer Chandra Farley reinitiated the Clean Energy Advisory Board. The Board consists of a diverse group of stakeholders combining local resources on clean energy issues. The board, a diverse group of stakeholders working with local resources on clean energy issues, will build public awareness supporting the Clean Energy Atlanta Plan. Mayor Andre’s reintroduction of the Advisory Board is perfectly aligned with the newly signed executive order. The order signed by Biden requires agencies to actively help meaningful public participation and just treatment of all people in agency decision-making. With the new Environmental Protection Agency report concerning Climate Change and social vulnerability , comprehension of comparative risks to vulnerable populations is critical for developing successful long term effective and evenhanded strategies for responding to climate change. In 2021, Spelman College, in Atlanta, got together with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other universities to map the most vulnerable communities and hottest areas. With Phase 1 of Atlanta’s new tree ordinance beginning this month and Livable Buckhead’s Greenspace expansion initiative, Atlanta is actively creating a foundation for resilient development and upgrading infrastructure to meet the 2050 goals created by the United Nation.
Act local and think global. The protection of our planet starts with the communities having a safe healthy environment. The order will safeguard overburdened communities bringing in clean energy and healthy environments to all. Community sustainability for all offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.
“This is about people’s health. It’s about the health of our communities. It’s only about the future of our planet,” Biden told activists, lawmakers and others before signing the order in the Rose Garden at the White House.
Teresa Perkins is a climate change and sustainability journalist, who is creating research-based climate change content pertaining to sustainable energy at local, national, and global level for publication and distribution. She partners with non-profit organizations for innovative ideas and sustainability projects and connects global UN Climate Change reports to local initiatives.
