Environmental issues are closely linked to racial justice as historically pollution, climate change and lack of access to green space have had a disproportionate impact on black people.
In June 2020, 25 black environmental leaders issued an open letter calling for an end to ‘systematic and pervasive racism within the realm of the environment.’ They called for an end to negative statements about black people and their relationship with nature in the US, Europe and Africa and listed solutions to eradicate racism, from education to ensuring access to wildlife.
From environmental justice advocates to scientists and social entrepreneurs, this is just a handful of many Black environmentalists who have contributed to our global understanding of the need to look after our planet.
1. Wangari Maathai
In 2004, Professor Maathai made history as the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to sustainable development, democracy and peace. She started the Green Belt Movement, a community-based tree planting initiative aimed at reducing poverty and promoting conservation, in 1977. More than 51 million trees were planted to help build climate tolerance and empowering communities, especially women and girls. Her environmental work is celebrated annually on Wangari Maathai Day on March 3rd.
2. Robert Bullard
Recognized as the ‘father of environmental justice,’ Dr. Bullard has been campaigning against the dumping of harmful waste in predominantly black neighborhoods in the southern states of the U.S. since the 1970s. His first book, Dumping in Dixie, highlighted the link between systemic racism and environmental violence, showing how slave descendants were exposed to higher than average levels of pollution. In 1994, his work led to the signing of the Regulatory Order on Environmental Justice, on which the Biden administration is building.
Pollution has a racial problem. Elizabethwarren.com
3. John Francis
Assisting in the clean-up after the oil spill in San Francisco Bay in January 1971 Francis was encouraged to suspend motor transport. Instead, for 22 years, he walked everywhere. He also took an oath of silence that lasted 17 years, so that he could listen to others. He walked the width of the U.S. and sailed and walked through South America, earning the nickname “Planetwalker,” and raising awareness of how people are interconnected with the environment.
4. Dr. Warren Washington
The pioneer of meteorology and climate, Dr. Washington was one of the first people to develop atmospheric computer models in the 1960s, which has helped scientists understand climate change. These models now include oceans and sea ice, surface water and vegetation. In 2007, the Parallel Climate Model (PCM) and Community Earth System Model (CESM) won the Nobel Peace Prize for Drs. Washington and his colleagues, as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
5. Angelou Ezeilo
Large trees and walking to pick berries encouraged New York youth Ezeilo to become an environmentalist and founded the Greening Youth Foundation, to educate future generations about the importance of conservation. Through its schools program and the Youth Conservation Group, the social enterprise provides access to nature for disadvantaged children and young people in the USA and West Africa. In 2019, Ezeilo published her book Engaging, Connecting, Protecting: Empowering diverse Young People as environmental leaders, co-written by her Pulitzer Prize-winning brother Nick Chiles.
Posted by permission of the World Economic Forum.
From your site articles
Related Articles Across The Web