United States of America

 

9 09, 2026

Meet Sarah Schumann

2026-10-30T17:21:37-04:00Tags: |

Commercial fishers have a unique view of our oceans and should have a distinctive voice within climate policy. However, action is oftentimes built around fishing communities instead of with them. Sarah Schumann is changing that. She has been fishing for over 20 years and serves as the Director of the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign, going from hauling nets in Rhode Island and Alaska to pulling policymakers away from “carbon tunnel vision”—when solutions shift environmental harm rather than remove it. For example, offshore wind and hydropower projects can also have detrimental impacts on the environment and the fishing industry. Including fishers in these conversations and decision-making processes could help ensure that climate solutions do not simply shift environmental harms, but are truly sustainable. Schumann hopes that we can begin to see fishers as environmental leaders, recognizing that their knowledge of water, weather, species, and seasons is key to developing ocean-based climate solutions.

13 08, 2026

National park signs on women and LGBTQ+ history are disappearing. Librarians are preserving the record

2026-10-30T17:40:12-04:00Tags: |

While attending a gathering about telling the full story of America’s history, librarian Jenny McBurney heard the news that the U.S. Department of the Interior was removing materials it deemed “disparaging to Americans or unrelated to the beauty and grandeur of our national parks.” What were these disparaging materials? One was a plaque at the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument that stated some suffragists were “beaten and force-fed when they went on hunger strikes” after being imprisoned for protesting outside the White House in 1917. Now, it reads, “the women, many of whom came from prominent and politically connected families, demanded to be treated as political prisoners.” We know what the plaque said before thanks to McBurney and the women behind Save Our Signs, an organization that crowdsources and archives historical records of signs at national park sites. The organization was founded in anticipation of government censorship that attempts to erase the histories of slavery, Native Americans, references to climate change, women's contributions, and LGBTQ+ presence. And it’s not just signs: maps, social media posts, books, and brochures must also be reviewed and approved by the Department. While several lawsuits have been brought to stop these executive orders, the review and removal of these materials has so far been allowed to continue. What will also continue is the work of Save Our Signs and other organizations preserving the full American story.

24 07, 2026

Meet the woman behind the world’s first environmental justice encyclopedia

2026-10-30T17:03:37-04:00Tags: , |

“How do you identify something without being able to call it by its name?” That used to be a question in the environmental justice movement, but not anymore. With the support of Yale University, environmental sociologist Dr. Dorceta Taylor completed edits for SAGE—the world’s first environmental justice encyclopedia. With 360 entries and 800,000 words from people in 26 countries, it’s a resource documenting key events, institutions, and people of color. Why is this important? Because for decades, ‘White and male’ was the public image of the environmental movement while erasing the historical contributions of Black, Indigenous and other communities of color. Dr. Taylor has dedicated her career to expanding representation and the numbers show the urgency; people of color make up 12-16% of the climate sector while their population in the U.S. is nearly three times that. Now that this encyclopedia is in the world, Dr. Taylor says, “you will see things in it that are the truth, the whole truth, the unvarnished truth.”

14 07, 2026

A swarm of solar ‘bees’ are coming to western North Carolina community hubs

2026-10-30T18:08:07-04:00Tags: |

Katie Myers, who reports on climate change in Appalachia, is shining a light on a new power solution after the region was literally left in the dark by Hurricane Helene two years ago: small-scale solar microgrids. $5 million has been invested to produce 26 of these microgrids (24 stationary and 2 mobile) in communities recovering from Helene. The stationary ones can supply power to hospitals, wastewater treatment plants, and other essential infrastructure. The mobile ones, which are being dubbed “beehives,” are mounted on trailers and can be immediately moved to areas most in need such as food banks, fire stations, community centers, and libraries. This includes “cooler bees” for medications and food, “power bees” for phones and other devices, and “water bees” for water filtration. “We are essentially setting the model and the precedent for what we hope will be a much bigger statewide and national project to duplicate,” says Sara Nichols of the economic development group Land of Sky Regional Council. As federal changes have reduced access to solar, these small-scale microgrids may become “the” model moving forward.

20 06, 2026

The Climate Womxn: Co-Designing a Climate Resilient New York City That Centers Gender Equity

2026-07-05T18:35:19-04:00Tags: |

Urban sociologist Tiasia O'Brian produced a report for the New York Women's Foundation in partnership with local leaders that highlights the disparities in New York City's climate justice data and its failure to adequately capture the experiences of women and gender-expansive people of color in climate planning. Publicly available data neglected to provide place-based, intersectional analyses, obscuring how structural disinvestment shapes climate vulnerability and resilience. By sharing stories and insights from community leaders involved in cross-movement organizing around housing, health, food security, labor rights, and mutual aid, O'Brian's work reframes dominant narratives that portray disadvantaged communities solely as vulnerable. Instead, she highlights their leadership in adaptation and resilience efforts, arguing that grassroots organizing and care work should be recognized as essential climate infrastructure. She calls for policymakers, funders, and city agencies to incorporate gender and racial equity into climate planning from the outset rather than treating them as secondary concerns. This includes collecting more inclusive data, recognizing forms of informal labor and care work that often go uncounted, investing directly in community-led organizations, and ensuring that those most affected by climate change have meaningful influence over policy decisions. O'Brian’s work asserts that achieving true climate resilience requires addressing the gendered, racialized, and economic inequalities that determine who faces climate risk and who has the power to shape solutions.

18 06, 2026

It’s giving joy: How drag is joining the climate movement

2026-10-30T17:42:46-04:00Tags: |

Environmental activism is for everyone! That is what drag queen Pattie Gonia hopes people are left feeling from their tour entitled “Save Her” with co-headliners Sequoia and VERA!. The tour, going to more than 20 cities across the U.S., is all about climate, politics, and the power of nature while featuring local drag queens and kings. It’s its own form of protest at a time when protections are being rolled back, history is being erased, and access to care is being limited for the LGBTQ+ community. Pattie Gonia’s activism goes off the stage as well. In addition to raising millions of dollars for environmental and social justice non-profits, they also founded the Queer Outdoor and Environmental Job Board as well as Outdoorist Oath, a non-profit that creates outdoor community for BIPOC, Queer and underrepresented groups. However, it’s not just their 2 million social media followers that have noticed Pattie Gonia’s influence. In 2025, they were named one of TIME’s most influential creators and National Geographic recognized them as one of 33 “agents of change”. The “Save Her” tour goes through the end of 2026. As one of the drag kings on tour, King Molasses says “we are able to not only entertain but are able to call our community to action.”

11 06, 2026

Meet the women leading the people-powered push against data centers

2026-10-30T17:12:31-04:00Tags: |

With 1,500 data centers in development, you might think that the majority of Americans would support them. Instead, we see that 7 in 10 oppose them, with women making up over half of those opposed. In fact, three women in particular are stepping up to do something about it. Abre’ Conner is the director of the NAACP’s Center for Environment and Climate Justice. She saw the growing demand for assistance in fighting data centers and created the Frontline Framework. This is the first environmental-justice-centered framework focused on data center resistance, designed specifically for community members, regional advocates, and national organizers in communities of color. Maia Woluchem directs the Trustworthy Infrastructures team at Data & Society, a technology policy think tank. Her team studies how AI investment has been changing the state of Pennsylvania. Her two years of research have helped communities protect their municipal power and strengthen local decision-making. Jackie McGuire is an AI and cybersecurity professional turned community activist. She gathered almost 3,000 signatures to put data center approval up for a vote, but the effort was rejected by the city. This inspired her to change things from the inside by running for city council. The people spoke, and she won.

30 04, 2026

Sierra Club’s New Leader on Why the Organization’s Mission Has Never Mattered More

2026-07-02T23:55:43-04:00Tags: |

With 700 staff, tens of thousands of volunteers, and millions of members and supporters, the Sierra Club is an environmental powerhouse. Yet, in its 133-year history, it had never had a woman serve as executive director—until Loren Blackford. She was unanimously appointed in the fall of 2025 after serving in a variety of leadership roles within the organization for more than 20 years. Her vision for the Sierra Club is, in her words, about “marrying what we’ve built with what needs to happen.” This means: (1) looking beyond partisan divides to connect climate action with broader political priorities; (2) defending democracy, including the rule of law, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly; and (3) choosing to act imperfectly rather than waiting for perfection and doing nothing. Blackford did not arrive at this vision alone. She conducted listening sessions with more than 400 staff members and volunteers, reflecting her belief that the “Sierra Club is stronger together.” Her appointment not only marks a historic milestone for the organization but also highlights the importance of women’s leadership in shaping collaborative and inclusive approaches to environmental action.

22 04, 2026

“Data Colonialism”: Native Communities Fight AI Data Centers on Indigenous Land

2026-06-06T00:22:58-04:00Tags: |

In the U.S., Indigenous land has always been a target for extractive industries. The newest industry to join them is Big Tech, which is looking not only to extract critical minerals from the land, but also to place hyperscale AI data centers near Native communities. Noise pollution, cancer, respiratory illness, heat islands, and water depletion are just some of the harms of “data colonialism,” a term used by Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne activist Krystal Two Bulls to describe a modern version of settler colonialism. The tactics are similar: the use of shadow subsidiaries, non-disclosure agreements, and broken promises of economic development. So, how are people fighting back? With information. Krystal Two Bulls’s organization, “Honor the Earth,” has launched the “No Data Center Campaign.” This includes a crowdsourced map tracking up to 160 proposed data center projects on tribal and rural lands across the United States. Using this information, along with building coalitions across race, occupation, and tribe, is the key to no longer, as Krystal Two Bulls says, “having to sacrifice our relationship to land, air, water, our communities and our nonhuman relatives.”

21 04, 2026

New Englanders patch holes to make sustainable wardrobes

2026-06-23T00:50:20-04:00Tags: |

Fashion is a dirty industry. In fact, taking into account manufacturing to distribution to disposal, clothing contributes up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. However, across the world, including towns such as Cambridge, Massachusetts, people are finding ways to reduce these damages. Hundreds of people attended the “We Thieves” clothing swap and repair fair where skilled repairers such as Sarah Wachter offered their mending services. From patching holes in your favorite jeans to fixing a rip in an otherwise beautiful dress, every stitch makes a difference. According to Jasmina Burek, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the difference is seven pounds of greenhouse gas emissions prevented for every one pound of clothing kept from the landfill. The difference isn’t just environmental. Saving money, learning life skills, tapping into creativity; there are many benefits to mending our clothes. As they say, one person’s “trash” is another person’s sustainable wardrobe.

20 04, 2026

Plant Baby Plant: Inside Robin Wall Kimmerer’s New Movement

2026-05-28T13:03:24-04:00Tags: |

“Raise a garden,” “raise a ruckus,” “plant a flag, plant your feet.” These are just some of the mottos from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s movement to counter ecological damage. The movement seeks to create a gift economy where participants give to nature without expecting anything in return. Nature has already modeled the way for us, offering us food, air, protection, beauty, and so much more. Kimmerer suggests that our gift in return can begin to come in forms such as planting gardens, rewilding urban places, and restoring wetlands. She has been hosting planting events called Blooms where people gather to give. For those who would see these events as a drop in the bucket, those in attendance would argue that it means everything to the local neighborhood and the nature that inhabits it. Re-strengthening our relationship and reciprocity with our world begins with local and intentional care. This movement can be summed up best in the words of Kimmerer herself, “plant baby plant.”

16 03, 2026

Protectors and leaders: Michigan women at the center of the modern environmental justice movement

2026-06-06T00:12:17-04:00Tags: |

Dr. Mona Hanna, Sandy Wynn-Stelt and Whitney Gravelle. These are the names of some of the women leading the charge for environmental justice. What do they have in common? They are all from Michigan. The state where the Flint water crisis happened in 2015, lasting over a decade, for which Dr. Mona Hanna’s research sounded the alarm. The state where the known dumping of tannery sludge and waterproof coatings (PFAS) led to severe groundwater contamination claiming the life of Sandy Wynn-Stelt’s husband. The state where the Kalamazoo River spill occurred in 2010 leading Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle to become an advocate for her people. Since then, Dr. Mona Hanna has launched Rx Kids, a program providing financial support to pregnant and new moms. Sandy Wynn-Stelt has created the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network with the goal of stopping industries from using PFAS in their products. Whitney Gravelle has helped her tribe slow down additional pipelines that are threatening tribal fisheries and cultural sites. These women may not have set out to become protectors and leaders, but their activism speaks for itself.

16 02, 2026

The greening of career education: US students learn new skills as climate crisis intensifies

2026-05-29T12:10:34-04:00Tags: |

More schools are adding sustainability to the curriculum. In states and counties across the U.S., not only are students asking for it, but industry too. From construction to culinary arts, climate change will alter the way we do work—and the next generation needs to be prepared. On the state level, Delaware is planning to integrate environmental lessons into their current middle and high school career and technical education courses. Denise Purnell-Cuff, who worked on this plan, says that “every job is a green job.” Therefore, solar panel installation and energy reduction will now be a part of the standard electrical career coursework. On the county level, South Carolina’s Greenville district is modeling the way. In 2023, they built the Innovation Center which provides students with relevant career training. What they found was that industries were embracing clean energy technologies to stay competitive and keep costs down. Now, Greenville county students are embracing a growing environmental career path. In fact, clean energy jobs have outpaced the rest of the U.S. economy. As Denise Purnell-Cuff says, “there is no disconnecting how we move forward in any area – there is no separating it from the environment.”

12 02, 2026

Women in Science: Geochemist Terry Plank

2026-07-02T22:42:32-04:00Tags: |

Award-winning geochemist and volcanologist Terry Plank developed a fascination with science as a child, studying rocks in the local quarry and drawing pictures of atoms at the breakfast table. However, it was not passion alone that led her to where she is today. Terry credits the encouragement of her mother, a trained chemist, as well as entering the sciences at a time when opportunities for women were beginning to expand. In fact, a program designed to recruit more women into science led her to Columbia’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science. She became the department’s first female full professor at a time when there were only two other women on the faculty; today, women outnumber the men. Terry’s story demonstrates that talent flourishes when barriers to participation are removed and opportunities are intentionally expanded. It is a reminder that making science more inclusive creates opportunities not only for women to thrive, but also for science itself to benefit from a greater diversity of perspectives.

12 02, 2026

Women in Science: Climate Scientist Gisela Winckler

2026-07-03T00:17:53-04:00Tags: |

Gisela Winckler followed what appeared to be a clear academic path, earning her bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. all in physics. However, she was not primarily drawn to classical physics research. Instead, she sought ways to apply physics to real-world problems, which led her to marine science. She now uses her training in physics to study the ocean’s past, present, and future role in the climate system and carbon cycle. Gisela Winckler is currently a climate scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and a professor of climate at the Columbia Climate School. She has also experienced the feeling of being marginal within the field; in graduate school, she was part of just 8% of women studying physics. This experience shapes her perspective today, as she welcomes the growing number of women pursuing doctorates in the sciences. She hopes her career demonstrates that there are many pathways to success in science, and that interdisciplinary routes can be just as impactful as traditional ones.

12 02, 2026

Women in Science: Disaster Preparedness Researcher Das Dores Ngueussie Ngamini

2026-07-03T00:15:43-04:00Tags: |

“Science needs diverse perspectives, and every question you ask strengthens the field.” This curiosity has been the impetus behind Das Dores Ngueussie Ngamini’s career. As a child, she was fascinated by the natural world, and as a graduate student, she was drawn to extreme weather forecasting and climate modeling. Today, she applies this expertise to support climate adaptation solutions at Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. She has faced challenges as a woman scientist throughout her career, including having access to fewer opportunities, limited funding, and reduced recognition. In response, she advocates for making science more accessible through expanded training, flexible pathways, and building mentorship into institutional culture rather than leaving it to chance. As she puts it, “when we remove barriers, women thrive, and the entire field benefits.”

11 02, 2026

Women in Science: Climate Impact Researcher Sanketa Kadam

2026-07-03T00:11:48-04:00Tags: |

Climate change transforms everything. That is what Sanketa Kadam realized early in her career as an architect and urban designer. From heat and flooding to energy and air quality, architects are increasingly being challenged to design around the impacts of a changing climate. However, Sanketa wanted to go beyond designing for these concerns; she wanted to understand the processes driving them. Today, she is a Ph.D. student in Earth and Environmental Studies at Columbia University, where she connects environmental data to its real-world impacts. Her research examines how crops and farmland in India are affected by compound extreme events, helping to deepen our understanding of climate risks and their consequences for vulnerable communities. Reflecting on her own unconventional path from architecture to climate science, Sanketa acknowledges that the field can be intimidating, particularly for women and those pursuing nontraditional careers. Her advice to younger women and girls is to “ask good questions unabashedly…[and to] find people who make you feel brave and supported.” Her journey highlights the value of supportive communities in expanding women's leadership in climate research.

10 12, 2025

Accelerating Women’s Climate Solutions in the U.S.

2025-12-10T01:29:49-05:00Tags: |

As written on the Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA) webpage, the “U.S. Grassroots Accelerator for Women Environmental Leaders” was designed to “catalyze the critical efforts of women leaders who have stepped forward to protect our families, communities, and ecosystems from environmental and climate threats.” The U.S. Accelerator supports a diverse group of women leaders across the United States to deepen their strategies for impact and design action plans; build alliances within and across movements with leaders in their sector; and gain skills in professional development, leadership, entrepreneurship, advocacy, communications, and technical solutions. The 2023 cohort of U.S. Leaders included 25 women from various U.S. states and territories working on projects related to regenerative agriculture, food justice, autonomous health and reproductive justice, and traditional lifeways. Ebonie Randle from Cleveland, Ohio, is the Founding Director of Shalom & Tranquility Garden Network and works as Lead Farmer at Shalom & Tranquility Community Garden. She joined the 2023 cohort through her project to transform neighborhood spaces and use gardening to educate, unify, and improve community wellness. Michelle Crisostomo, another member from the 2023 cohort from Guam, is the President and Co-Founder of Guåhan Sustainable Culture (GSC) and joined the Accelerator based on her project to help her community seek food security through local farmer education and collaborative partnerships that involve plant and poultry farming, while also distributing produce to food-insecure families. The WEA U.S. Accelerator Leaders work at the intersection of issues including climate, conservation, economics, education, energy, food and agriculture, health and safety, indigenous lifeways, waste management, and water. Women’s Earth Alliance believes that by investing in women leaders to create and lead solutions for change, they are creating conditions for an inclusive, safe, and thriving world.

10 12, 2025

Lessons In Persistence

2025-12-10T01:19:39-05:00Tags: |

Growing up in the Southern United States, climate change was not a distant threat but an everyday reality for Amelia Southern-Uribe. Silence defined her childhood, long before she understood the politics of extraction or the corporate negligence that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The ocean she loved was muted by crude oil spills, and the once vibrant beaches of South Florida were marked by the carcasses of poisoned sea animals. Her family’s relocation to Arkansas exposed her to yet another struggle: poor air quality from the stench of factory farms that disproportionately harmed her Latino neighborhood. Poisoned water deprived a majority-Black community of reliable access to clean drinking water, and an oil pipeline threatened the wetlands of the Mississippi Delta, where Indigenous and Black communities have lived for generations. While silence was her first lesson in environmental injustice, her mother taught her that silence is not protection. In response, she co-founded Roots magazine, because stories from the South deserve to be told and the intergenerational knowledge of those who have long fought for clean air and water must be preserved. National narratives often erase the struggles of Southern communities, dismissing them as collateral damage. Through art, storytelling, and investigative reporting, Roots Magazine is a reclamation of power.

10 11, 2025

This Former Oil Worker Is Now Exposing Dirty Methane Emissions

2026-09-27T20:38:35-04:00Tags: |

Former fossil fuel industry worker turned activist Sharon Wilson is exposing the invisible crisis of methane leaks that drives global warming across Texas oil fields. After fracking contaminated her rural community’s air and water, Wilson retrained as a 'methane hunter.' She uses specialized optical gas-imaging cameras to capture hidden, potent methane gas billowed by oil and gas operations. Through working alongside organizations like Earthworks and Oilfield Witness, her visual evidence has exposed widespread industry negligence and underreported emissions in the Permian Basin to international regulators, journalists, and film audiences. Despite facing intense harassment, death threats, and SLAPP lawsuits, Wilson continues her frontline documentation. Her advocacy highlights the urgent need to phase out fossil fuel extraction, and argues that rather than relying on weak oversight, stopping combustion entirely is essential to resolving the climate crisis.

6 10, 2025

Fossil Fuel Billionaires Are Bankrolling The Anti-Trans Movement

2025-12-09T22:40:35-05:00Tags: |

An investigation co-authored by journalist Yessenia Funes and published in Atmos and HEATED reveals a disturbing financial link between the fossil fuel industry and the anti-trans movement in the United States of America. The analysis found that 80% of 45 groups advocating against transgender rights have received funding from fossil fuel companies and billionaires. Specific examples include Shell's donations to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a key organisation behind numerous anti-trans initiatives, as well as contributions from billionaires such as Phil Anschutz, the Wilks brothers, and the Koch brothers. This funding serves a strategic purpose: to create a social and political distraction from the climate crisis and other unpopular conservative agendas. Yessenia Funes’ report highlights that this financial and ideological alignment is a tactic employed by the fossil fuel industry to uphold a traditional, patriarchal social order from which it benefits. This alliance poses a dangerous situation for trans individuals, who are targeted by restrictive legislation such as bathroom bills and bans on gender-affirming care, and are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The article concludes that recognizing fossil fuels as a common enemy could unify the climate and LGBTQIA+ justice movements, strengthening their collective efforts against systemic inequality and fostering a broader coalition to create a more just and sustainable future.

10 09, 2025

An Energy Department Climate Change Report ‘Completely Ignored’ Adaptation, Rutgers Professor Says

2025-12-03T23:18:31-05:00Tags: |

Pamela McElwee is a professor of human ecology at Rutgers University, an expert in evidence-based climate policy, and an outspoken climate rights activist that is challenging the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on climate science. McElwee holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Kansas, a Masters in Forestry and Plant Sciences from Oxford, and a Doctorate in Forestry, Environmental Studies, and Anthropology from Yale University. Her research took her to Southeast Asia where she studied the overlap between conservation, culture, and policy, and then back to the United States where she became crucial to climate mitigation strategies. She worked as a legislative aide to Al Gore and as an advisor on environmental policy to the Clinton White House. Globally, she has worked as a consultant for the World Bank, the UNDP, and a variety of NGOs dedicated to mangrove restoration, sustainable forestry practices, and watershed management. She has openly expressed criticism of the U.S. Department of Energy’s problematic review of the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Their 150-page report, compiled by a now disbanded working group composed of 5 notorious climate skeptics, was riddled with cherry-picked data, misquoted research, and egregious citation errors. McElwee has pointed out how the document completely overlooks climate adaptation and how the Trump administration is using it as a so-called ‘scientific’ foundation to rescind and reverse monumental climate policies. Despite her criticism being belittled, she remains steadfast in her efforts to counteract the Trump Administration’s anti-climate science and pro-fossil fuels actions.

5 08, 2025

Restoring Coral Reefs In The Caribbean

2026-05-08T17:56:34-04:00Tags: , |

In this narrative essay, researcher and science graduate Sara Abraha reflects on her experience studying coral reef ecosystems across the Caribbean and in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Abraha documents the emotional impact of witnessing coral bleaching firsthand in St. Croix, Dominica, and Anguilla, where rising temperatures and ocean acidification have transformed once-vibrant reefs into skeletal remains. She highlights the contributions of local figures like artist Elisa McKay, who preserves cultural knowledge of these marine environments. The article emphasizes that the climate crisis in the Caribbean is a result of external exploitation that impacts communities contributing the least to global pollution. Abraha concludes that human health and environmental health are inseparable, and she supports the collaborative restoration efforts being led by volunteers and scientists in the region.

29 07, 2025

Arizona Town Fears Becoming A Clean Energy Sacrifice Zone

2026-09-27T20:41:48-04:00Tags: |

Community leader Joni Stellar, board chair of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA), is leading the fight to prevent Southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains from becoming a clean energy sacrifice zone. In a report by author Brian Pellot, the devastating environmental impacts of Australian mining corporation South 32’s Hermosa project that extracts zinc and manganese are exposed. The project is already creating severe water impacts. South 32 is dewatering the mountain and discharging millions of gallons of treated groundwater into normally dry creek beds. Experts warn that this creates a chemical time bomb, by pushing legacy heavy metals toward the town’s aquifer, while increased water levels are actively causing flooding and disrupting local ecotourism. Despite the company’s attempt to buy favor through their corporate philanthropy, Stellar and local residents are fiercely organizing to protect their watershed, health, and nature-based economy from the ecological costs of industrialized mining.

17 07, 2025

We Need Media 2.0 to Cover Trump 2.0

2026-05-30T11:26:36-04:00Tags: |

Mainstream U.S. media coverage during Trump’s first presidency and the years that followed often framed political and climate realities as apocalyptic events, oversimplifying complex issues and limiting public understanding. For example, a cover story in The Nation likened members of the political cabinet to characters from the Book of Revelation, while the Los Angeles Times described the climate change-intensified wildfires of 2020 as the “Climate Apocalypse.” Although such coverage drew attention to pressing crises, it frequently relied on dramatic narratives rather than nuanced analyses of the distinct threats posed by democratic erosion and climate change. Mainstream outlets often dismissed calls for transformative change and progressive political solutions as extreme or destabilizing. Responses to climate change, from Silicon Valley technological innovations to policy reforms advocated by activists, were frequently framed as either right or wrong. As a result, the Sunrise Movement, led largely by young women of color, and the Green New Deal were often portrayed as radical despite broad public support across partisan and geographic divides. At the same time, media narratives frequently celebrated green technologies and market-based solutions developed by older white male entrepreneurs as the preferred response to climate change. Climate journalism must move beyond fearmongering, nostalgia for an imagined national past, and the celebration of savior figures. Instead, it should engage seriously with popular political perspectives and provide accurate, nuanced coverage of transformative and justice-oriented climate action.

11 07, 2025

After The Fires, Under The Waves

2026-05-08T17:54:15-04:00Tags: |

Following the Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California, women leaders warn of an environmental crisis occurring beneath the ocean's surface. In this episode of Terra Verde, producer and host Hannah Wilton investigates the impact of wildfire runoff with Tracy Quinn, President and CEO of Heal the Bay, and marine ecologist Dr. Zoë Kitchel. They discuss how the destruction of over 12,000 buildings in California has released a dangerous mixture of heavy metals, asbestos, and flame retardants into coastal waters, which threatens marine biodiversity. The conversation identifies specific gaps in federal and state water monitoring and advocates for systemic changes to protect marine ecosystems. By focusing on scientific data and advocacy, these women are working to ensure that the long-term effects of inland disasters on the coastline are addressed.

12 06, 2025

From Gaza to LA, The Right to Remain is Under Attack

2025-12-09T23:17:02-05:00Tags: , , |

Aditi Mayer argues that ‘domicide’ is a global pattern that produces threat through both war and climate inaction. She defines domicide as the deliberate destruction of a home by human action, resulting in the loss of physical shelter, cultural identity, and a sense of belonging. To illustrate this point, she connects two events: the Israeli military's bombardment of Gaza and recent raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles. In Gaza, the violence of war has led to the destruction of most of its buildings and the displacement of 90% of its population. Mayer contrasts this with the 'slow violence' of climate change, which also renders places uninhabitable, as is the case in Pacific Island nations. She also applies the framework of domicide to Los Angeles, where communities already affected by wildfires caused by climate change are then targeted by ICE raids. She sees these actions, the bombardment in Gaza and the raids in Los Angeles, as being linked by a common outcome: the deliberate displacement of people and the destruction of the places they call home. She concludes that the fight for climate justice is fundamentally a fight for the right to remain.

24 05, 2025

“A Whole History Of Injustice” In Southwest Louisiana, Organizers Fight Petro Projects Amid A Legacy Of Exploitation.

2025-11-07T15:07:36-05:00Tags: |

In response to the widespread community devastation from Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020, which left her family displaced, Roishetta Sibley Ozane founded the Vessel Project of Louisiana. The grassroots organization leads a fight that addresses both immediate needs and their root causes: providing immediate mutual aid for disaster recovery while building long-term community resistance against the region’s massive petrochemical industry. Ozane and her allies are organizing to stop the construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, including Venture Global’s proposed Calcasieu Pass 2 Project, which would drastically increase greenhouse gas emissions. According to environmental assessments, the CP2 project alone would generate annual emissions equivalent to 42 million cars and destroy crucial coastal marshlands that buffer the area from future storms. Their resistance is also a direct response to the area’s history as a “national sacrifice zone” where industrial pollution is linked to a severe public health crisis; Louisiana's cancer rates are nearly 41% higher than the national average. By linking frontline disaster relief to a direct fight for climate justice, Ozane and her community are building a powerful movement for their collective health, survival, and future.

30 04, 2025

Immigrants Cleaning Up Wildfire-Stricken LA Face Hazardous Conditions

2025-12-09T22:33:18-05:00Tags: |

Hilary Beaumont, an intersectional climate journalist, writes about the crucial but dangerous role played by immigrant workers as ‘second responders’ in cleaning up wildfire-ravaged areas of Los Angeles, despite the conditions they face. These workers, who make up approximately 40% of California’s construction workforce, face severe health risks from exposure to toxins such as lead and asbestos. The situation is worsened by a lack of proper training and personal protective equipment. The article reveals a cycle of exploitation: these workers are risking their lives yet often live in fear of speaking out due to concerns over wage theft and deportation threats, a fear that has been exacerbated by the Trump administration. This sheds light on the hazardous labor performed by marginalized workers in the aftermath of natural disasters and draws attention to systemic issues of worker exploitation and the disregard for the health and safety of these essential workers.

22 04, 2025

The Environment Is Under Attack. The Rights of Nature Movement Can Save It

2026-05-27T22:49:20-04:00Tags: |

A bill was introduced in the New York State Assembly to grant the Great Lakes and all other bodies of water in New York the legal right to exist free from human violations. India Nye Wenner, the author of this piece, found the legislation to be significant during a time where the second Trump administration term had decimated the National Park Service, directed the Environmental Protection Agency to roll back environmental regulations, and tried to revoke billions in climate change-combatting programs. In recent decades (2010s and 2020s), the Rights of Nature movement in the U.S. has become a space for conflict over local sovereignty and corporatocracy as state legislatures have preempted or challenged Rights of Nature laws. When Tish O’Dell learned of the fracking taking place in her community as well as the lack of action from her local elected officials, she advocated and worked with mothers from across Ohio (forming Mothers Against Drilling In Our Neighborhoods) to pass a Rights of Nature amendment in Broadview Heights After the local amendment was overturned by the Ohio Supreme Court in 2015, O’Dell, with the help of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, proposed more than 40 Rights of Nature laws throughout the state. Her campaign culminated in the Lake Erie Bill of Rights, approved by Toledo, Ohio voters in 2019, which recognized the lake’s rights to “exist, flourish and naturally evolve.” However, this was overturned on the grounds that it was ‘unconstitutionally vague’ and ‘oustripped the municipality’s authority.’ Wenner believes that the widespread implementation of the Rights of Nature doctrine in the United States is not going to come quickly or easily, but that progress is progress. As said by Dr. Wade Davis, interviewed in this article, “The movement itself is a statement that the mindset has already changed.”

14 04, 2025

Plastics Reform, Regulation Urged by Los Angeles Reproductive Justice Group

2025-12-11T13:56:08-05:00Tags: |

Black Women for Wellness, a Los Angeles–based reproductive justice organization, launched a community-wide survey for a new report assessing the effects of plastics in southern Los Angeles. The organization highlights how environmental health complications and climate change target Black communities, and Black women in particular, in distinctive ways. Their report and activism underscore the necessity of researching and monitoring the effects that fossil fuel industry pollution and plastic production have on maternal health, newborn health, and the health of Black women overall. Plastics and other petrochemicals are projected to drive an estimated 30% growth in global oil demand by 2030. Today, Black and brown communities in Southern L.A. face disproportionate harm from pollution caused by oil drilling and extraction, as their neighborhoods sit atop an oil field containing thousands of active and idle wells. One important finding from the report is that although community members may want to prioritize sustainability and reduce plastic use, structural barriers make this difficult. For many individuals and families who can only afford low-cost necessities, such as plastic-wrapped food, avoiding plastic is simply not feasible. In response to these findings, Black Women for Wellness calls on the California state government to legislate a US$5 billion plastic mitigation fund, strategically financed in part by the polluters themselves, to support damage control for the communities most affected by plastics and the climate-related health complications they cause. Additional recommendations include educational initiatives on the plastic lifecycle, stronger regulations for the fossil fuel industry, and support for diversifying access to more sustainable food options for local communities.

12 03, 2025

Celebrating Women’s Leadership In Environmental Justice

2025-12-09T23:32:14-05:00Tags: , |

Across the United States and beyond, women have long been at the forefront of the environmental justice movement, transforming personal concerns into powerful collective action. In 1978, Lois Gibbs exposed the toxic waste buried beneath her neighborhood. Her activism resulted in the evacuation of 800 families and the establishment of the federal Superfund program. In Chicago, Hazel M. Johnson, praised as the 'mother of environmental justice', founded People for Community Recovery in 1979, exposing environmental racism and inspiring President Clinton’s 1994 Executive Order on Environmental Justice. In Harlem, Peggy Shepard co-founded WE ACT for Environmental Justice to fight pollution and demand accountability for marginalized communities. More recently still, Linda Garcia in Vancouver, Washington, successfully stopped the construction of North America's largest proposed oil terminal. Meanwhile, in Kenya, Wangari Maathai united women to plant over 30 million trees. Together, these women embody resilience and leadership, proving that environmental justice and gender equity are intertwined goals for a sustainable and fair future.

18 02, 2025

Reciprocity: Rethinking Our Relationship with the Natural World

2026-10-30T01:03:43-04:00Tags: |

In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Robin Wall Kimmerer speaks to the worldview shifts facilitated by Indigenous knowledge, cosmology, and futurity in her latest book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. In The Serviceberry, Kimmerer discusses the interconnectivities found within circular economies and economies of nature. Through de-commodifying Western notions of “natural resources” and providing a perspective into Indigenous economies, Kimmerer centers gift economies, ethics of responsibility, and reciprocity with the natural world as counterpoints to the hegemonic capitalist market-based economy. Through this framing, she situates multi-species intelligence and kinship relations as foundations for understanding and operating from different worldviews that engage mutually reinforcing sustenance relationships between humans, the earth, and non-human species as opposed to self-interest, accumulation, and harm that the capitalist economy requires. Moreover, she acknowledges the self-determination of more-than-human kin who also have rights to live and exist into the future, describing how Indigenous worldviews are being braided with Western legal frameworks through the rights of nature and legal personhood titles to multiple landscapes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Kimmerer overall emphasizes her overarching mission to nurture worldview shifts grounded in reciprocity and mutual responsibility.

17 02, 2025

Black-led Climate Groups Won’t Yield to Trump’s Crusade on Wokeness

2025-12-09T22:37:21-05:00Tags: |

The Trump administration’s policies targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and halting federal funding for environmental justice organizations have had catastrophic effects on climate justice nonprofits, especially Black-led groups. Federal funding and DEI programs have been essential for these organizations to secure financial and material support. ThriveNOLA, a nonprofit advocating for climate resiliency, racial equity, and economic opportunity in New Orleans, is one such organization that has had to make difficult decisions, including laying off staff tied to losses of federal funding. Dionna Brown, the National Youth Director at Young, Gifted, and Green, similarly notes that without this funding, it’s difficult to operate at the larger capacity they had planned. Still, like her, many in the movement are finding new ways to fund and continue their fight for climate and racial justice. Illai Kenney, Managing Director of the HBCU Green Fund in Atlanta which focuses on building community farms, adds that even organizations not reliant on federal funding are feeling the impact. Though their work is funded through donations, federal actions often set the tone for broader public and private support. Nevertheless, Kenney is turning to old-school organizing methods like boycotts, buying locally, and using non-digital communication to work around the new restrictions—showing the resilience of Black-led climate groups committed to environmental justice.

29 01, 2025

Climate finance and care services: why public investment is necessary

2025-12-03T22:45:04-05:00Tags: |

Caren Grown highlights the significance of care work, a crucial component of both economic and social well-being that frequently receives insufficient recognition and appreciation, despite its pivotal role in sustaining communities. Care work has always been the invisibilized backbone of society, but climate crises are intensifying its demands with the burden falling disproportionately on unpaid women workers. Grown emphasizes the growing need to protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children during climate-related hazards like heatwaves. She also notes that when disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires destroy care infrastructure—such as hospitals, schools, and community centers—women are often expected to fill the gap with unpaid labor, underscoring the urgency of investing in resilient care systems. Grown’s analysis demonstrates that, despite the awareness of this issue and the allocation of public funds for enhanced care services in certain nations, no country has yet successfully mobilized adequate resources. Despite the increase of adaptation finance in recent years, the true costs of care services and infrastructure supporting them have been inadequately considered. Furthermore, the allocation of climate finance is not being executed in an optimal manner. It is imperative that the focus is shifted towards communities and individuals who need assistance, as well as urban areas, which have been identified as the primary centers for adaptation initiatives.

16 01, 2025

Mitsubishi Cancels Plans For A $1.3b Chemical Plant In Louisiana’s Cancer Alley

2026-09-27T20:44:39-04:00Tags: |

Frontline women leaders Gail Leboeuf of Inclusive Louisiana and Pamela Ambeau of Rural Roots Louisiana have secured a major victory for fossil fuel resistance and environmental justice by forcing the Mitsubishi Chemical Group to drop plans for a proposed $1.3 billion petrochemical complex in Geismar, Louisiana. The corporation officially cited economic factors, but financial analysts confirmed that relentless community opposition to toxic air pollution made the project a high-risk bet. The proposed 77-acre facility would have released hundreds of tons of harmful chemicals annually to manufacture methyl methacrylate (MMA) for plastics, which further burdens a predominantly Black and Hispanic, low-income community already surrounded by heavy industrial polluters. Because petrochemical and plastic expansion serves as a primary growth driver for the oil and gas industry, halting this massive facility represents a vital win in the global movement for a fossil fuel phaseout and the protection of frontline community health.

11 01, 2025

Los Angeles Is On Fire And Big Oil Are The Arsonists

2025-11-07T21:49:10-05:00Tags: |

In an op-ed, Canadian environmental activist and writer Tzeporah Berman argues that the fossil fuel industry are the ‘arsonists’ behind the devastating wildfires raging through Los Angeles. Berman points to a decades-long history of deception and cites how companies like ExxonMobil knew about the climate risks of their products but chose to fund misinformation campaigns instead of acting. She connects this legacy of deceit directly to the current catastrophe, where hotter, drier conditions fueled by climate change are intensifying wildfires. The article highlights resistance from leaders who are suing major oil companies for damages. Berman champions the call for a global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to hold corporations legally and ethically accountable for the destruction they have knowingly caused. 

9 01, 2025

The chronicle of a fire foretold

2025-12-09T23:40:33-05:00Tags: |

The Los Angeles area is known for its severe wildfires, particularly in autumn. However, as author Rebecca Solnit explains, such catastrophic fires were not always typical. She argues that a new era began in 2017, when climate change and decades of misguided land management came together to ignite fires on an unprecedented scale. Solnit and her loved ones lost homes filled with memories, places they can never return to. However, the region’s vulnerability is not only due to climate conditions. The long suppression of the natural fire cycle has made fires far more destructive. California’s ecosystems have always depended on periodic burns for renewal. Preventing these smaller fires has allowed vegetation to build up, turning landscapes into fuel for massive blazes. For decades, climate scientists and fire experts have warned that rising temperatures, prolonged drought and Santa Ana winds would increase the risk. When developing the area, civic institutions should have taken this into account, yet they have often ignored these warnings. As Solnit points out, Los Angeles has also suffered from underinvestment in infrastructure and water systems, leaving fire departments underprepared. Remembering past disasters is therefore essential. Forgetting, as Solnit reminds us, creates vulnerability to misinformation, poor planning and repetition of preventable tragedies. Protecting lives in the future will require solutions that respect both human needs and the natural role of fire in California's landscapes.

24 11, 2024

These Women Are Leading The Effort To Protect Sacred Water

2025-12-04T00:08:30-05:00Tags: |

In Oklahoma, a powerful coalition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women are upholding the sacred duty to speak for the water and fighting to protect the state's rivers from pollution and corporate greed. Written from the perspective of Potawatomi leader Cheyenne Skye Branscum, the article highlights women like Charlotte Robins, a Cherokee citizen whose fight to save the Kiamichi River is documented in the new film Drowned Land by Choctaw filmmaker Colleen Thursten. It also features the work of allies in Tulsa, including scientist Lauren Haygood, who equips communities to test for pollution in the Arkansas River, and veteran activist Barbara VanHanken, who exposes the impact of oil refineries on low-income and tribal communities. Together, these women are challenging a legacy of environmental injustice, from agricultural runoff to toxic pollution from the fossil fuel industry that disproportionately harms Black, Indigenous, and low-income residents. Their collaborative resistance demonstrates women from all backgrounds standing together to protect water for future generations.

30 10, 2024

Black Churches Have Always Led Social Movements. Why Not Climate Justice?

2025-07-29T22:32:46-04:00Tags: , |

Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its negative impacts are not distributed equally. Those most affected—particularly Black and brown communities—are often the very ones excluded from climate conversations. Historically, Black churches have served as incubators for social movements like the Civil Rights struggle. Building on that legacy, Antonique Smith and Reverend Sharon Lavigne co-founded Climate Revival, a movement that mobilizes people of color and people of faith in the fight for environmental justice. As a Grammy-nominated artist, Smith argues that the climate movement has overlooked powerful tools like music and storytelling—tools that have historically galvanized social change. Through nationwide tours, Smith and Lavigne host climate conversations and gospel concerts in churches across the country, raising awareness and helping communities recognize that climate justice is not only an environmental issue but also a deeply moral one.

18 10, 2024

How the Navajo Nation Is Reclaiming Food Sovereignty

2025-04-09T19:25:17-04:00Tags: , |

Mobile cooking classes, educational farms, and social media are transforming the food deserts that have long affected the Navajo Nation. For generations, residents of the Navajo Nation have struggled with food insecurity and limited access to fresh, unprocessed foods. This issue traces back to colonial history, when Indigenous communities were denied their food rights and forcibly displaced from their lands. The situation worsened after the Navajo people were returned to their lands following their imprisonment at the Fort Sumner prison camp in the late 1800s, where they became dependent on food rations provided by the US government. The impacts of systemic discrimination and slow violence have shaped food infrastructures within the Navajo Nation ever since. As a result, processed foods have become embedded in daily life, and health advocates are concerned about their negative effects. The prevalence of processed foods, compounded by poverty and the erosion of traditional knowledge around growing and foraging local foods, has contributed to rising rates of diabetes and other health issues. Women like Denisa Livingston, elected as the Slow Food International Indigenous Councilor, are leading efforts to combat these challenges. Livingston advocates for a junk food tax specific to the Navajo Nation and promotes increased nutritional diversity through traditional food practices. Rather than shaming individuals for consuming processed foods, especially in the context of poverty and limited access to whole foods or kitchen appliances, Livingston and other advocates emphasize the need to resist the colonial mindset that has left many feeling powerless. The goal is to empower communities to reclaim their food sovereignty and health through education and cultural revitalization.

11 10, 2024

Hurricane Milton Confirmed What Disabled Citizens Feared Most

2025-07-10T00:18:25-04:00Tags: , |

Hurricanes Milton and Helene, which swept through Florida in September and October of 2024, left the state devastated. Marianne Dhenin, an Atmos journalist, points out that such disasters confirm the harsh reality that disabled communities are disproportionately affected due to poor disaster planning. Persistent shortcomings—and the lack or absence of consideration for disabled people in emergency response—leave 61 million disabled individuals nationwide at high risk of fatality or critical injury during disasters. This has serious implications as climate change-fueled weather events become more intense and widespread. Dhenin emphasizes that despite the establishment of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination in 2010, federal-level action—particularly by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—has been slow to reach and support those affected. With too little governmental assistance, disabled people impacted by the hurricanes are turning to disability-led organizations such as New Disabled South and the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies.

9 10, 2024

Dolores Huerta Is Still Fighting to Keep Democracy Alive

2025-12-09T22:27:18-05:00Tags: |

Zoe Loftus-Farren, the managing editor of Earth Island Journal, interviewed Dolores Huerta, a leading environmentalist and activist from the United States of America. The interview, held shortly before Huerta’s 94th birthday, discussed how varying justice movements are fundamentally interconnected. Huerta has dedicated her life to women’s rights, farmworkers, labor, and environmental movements, pushing for improved working conditions, fair wages, and a farmworker’s collective organization. Among her decades of community organizing, she played an integral role in the establishment of the United Farm Workers Association and spearheaded the Dolores Huerta Foundation to engage marginalized communities through educational initiatives and civic engagement. She recognizes that farmworkers are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, facing deep marginalization and systemic violence, while simultaneously stewarding the land, feeding our world, and sowing the foundations of some of the most powerful and engaged organizing across movements. This is exacerbated in both regards for women farmworkers who face unique struggles but are consistently leaders fighting for cross-sectional justice. Looking to the future, Huerta implores environmentalists to organize at the community level, with some calls to action including engaging more closely with labor organizations, recognizing the importance of monitoring climate funding, and fulfilling their obligation to reject fascism at the ballot box. Huerta shows us the transformative potential of collective action in the creation of significant outcomes.

30 09, 2024

After Generations in the Dark, This Group Is Bringing Solar Power to Tribal Lands

2025-07-09T23:37:40-04:00Tags: , , |

35% of households in the Hopi Reservation do not have access to electricity, this issue is not unique to the Hopi Nation. Historically Indigenous Nations in North America have been subjugated to energy insecurity because of these communities being overlooked when it comes to improving energy infrastructure and promoting the energy sector within these communities. Yessenia Funes highlights the work of Native Renewables, an Indigenous and women-founded organization bringing solar power to Indigenous communities in the Southwestern United States to address the years of systemic neglect from the U.S. government. On the Hopi reservation in Arizona, 35% of residents, and over 13,000 households across the Hopi and Navajo Nations, lack reliable electricity. Native Renewables is working to change that. Suzanne Singer, one of the founder's motivations, stems from her childhood summers spent with her grandparents in the Navajo Nation. Despite power lines running overhead, her family never had access to electricity. Today, Native Renewables is not only lighting homes but also creating jobs, generating around 19 new positions in the renewable energy sector within these communities. This initiative has been led by tribes amid the continued absence of government support and failed promises that have not only led to energy poverty, but have exacerbated public health crises. Parvannah Lee, a Diné healthcare worker from the Sleep Rock People Clan and Old Zuni Clan, joined Native Renewables after realizing the energy crisis contributes to interconnected systemic health gaps in her communities. Working with Native Renewables, she and other energy leaders have been cultivating economic stability for themselves, while working to build brighter futures for their communities.

10 09, 2024

A Glimpse of the Future if We Get Climate Action Right

2026-05-10T16:51:47-04:00Tags: |

We have all seen the apocalyptic headlines about our climate future, but in her book “What If We Get It Right?” Ayana Elizabeth Johnson shows us a future in which we made the right climate decisions. Deploying all the climate solutions we have today, she helps us to imagine a world where renewable energy, clean water, green buildings, and restored ecosystems are the norm. To create this book, she pulled from the collective wisdom of science, activism, and poetry because she believes we need all three in order to understand the complex situation we are in and transform our societies, economies, and cultures. The latter is especially important because “culture shapes what is considered the norm, what is considered desirable, and what is considered aspirational.” It determines whether we protect mangroves and wetlands, whether we establish clean water and air as a right, and whether we choose to create the best future possible. Ayana shows us that there is value in not just focusing on the problem, but in imagining the future we want to build together. 

3 09, 2024

We can power our future by breaking free from the tyranny of fossil fuels

2025-05-22T13:24:02-04:00Tags: |

Writing in advance of the United Nations Summit of the Future, Christiana Figueres reflects on the Pact for the Future. Figueres, a climate negotiator, podcast host, and co-founder of Global Optimism, argues that the continued exploitation of fossil fuels amounts to a theft of our collective future. Citing the surge in fossil fuel company profits since the start of the war in Ukraine, she warns that a destabilized climate threatens the very structure of our societiesYet she remains hopeful, seeing an opportunity to reshape decision-making around the wellbeing of future generations. Prosperity, to her, can be seen in the wellbeing of the many. Following a recent open letter of Nobel Laureates calling for a transition away from fossil fuels, Figueres observes renewed confidence in multilateralism, but cautions against preserving global cooperation at the expense of bold action for the future. Focusing instead on the duty to preserve a liveable planet, she calls on others to reimagine our relationships with the planet and each other. She highlights the Declaration on Future Generations, drafted by UN member states after broad consultation with Indigenous communities, youth, civil society, scholars, and others. She calls on those profiting from fossil fuels to use their ingenuity to build the clean energy systems needed now and stresses the need for governments to align their policies with sustainability, equity, and intergenerational solidarity.

13 08, 2024

A Young Artist-Activist Works for Equity in the Food System

2026-10-30T18:05:41-04:00Tags: |

Arty Mangan with Bioneers interviewed Minkah Taharkah, an artist, poet, farmer, and organizer who grew up in Leimert Park in Los Angeles and now homesteads in Fresno County, the country’s top agricultural county. After traveling for years, she settled in Fresno to be near the farmers and farmworkers she works with, many of them Black, Latino, and Hmong. She describes the health toll on farmworkers as “nutricide,” highlighting the irony that the people who grow and harvest healthy produce lack the access to good nutrition themselves. Her path into agriculture began at UC Berkeley, where a limited budget and her veganism left her unable to afford healthy foods. In 2019, she and colleagues co-founded Black Earth Farms on campus after learning practices from farmers in Cuba and Jamaica. She now serves as the first staff person at the California Farmer Justice Collaborative, a group of farmers that helped craft the 2017 Farm Equity Act which explicitly prioritizes BIPOC producers. Her daily work involves finding farmers, calling them, and visiting them, and she helps run a micro-grant program offering up to $10,000 in emergency and operating funds. She also works with The Butterfly Movement, co-founded by her mentor Brandi Mack, which began as pandemic-era mutual aid backyard gardens in East Oakland. Throughout the interview she emphasizes that equity work should focus on those with the greatest need, just as healthy soil lets everything else bloom, and that Black communities, whose ancestors worked the land before dispossession and colonization separated them from it, can heal by reconnecting with it.

7 08, 2024

In Alaska, Advocates Say Reducing Prison Population Is a Key Climate Strategy

2026-03-27T15:34:21-04:00Tags: |

Jess Zhang from The Guardian discusses Alaska's rapidly ageing prison infrastructure which is failing under the pressure of the climate crisis. It was built for stable climate conditions but shifting weather patterns such as record rainfall and thawing permafrost have destabilized the foundations, revealing how the state is not prepared to protect its people from environmental hazards. This is most evident at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center, where the ground buckled in 2022 and the foundation sank. The Alaska Department of Corrections has responded with a $9.5 million plan to repair and expand facilities. However, advocates such as Megan Edge of the ACLU of Alaska contend that investing in 'climate-proofing' prisons is a misguided strategy. Instead, they propose decarceration as a primary climate mitigation tool. Despite an effort in 2016 to reduce the prison population and save $380 million which could go towards human and ecological services, the current state leadership has reversed course by reopening closed facilities and expanding capacity. Advocates insist that until Alaska addresses its high incarceration rate, it will remain trapped in a cycle of spending on unsustainable infrastructure, leaving thousands of people vulnerable to environmental catastrophe. These stories reinforce that our struggles are interconnected, and that abolition offers a pathway not only to dismantle carceral systems but to reimagine safety through investments in communities and ecological resilience rather than incarceration.

29 07, 2024

Costly Climate ‘Solutions’ Look Like More Pollution In Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’

2025-11-07T21:42:26-05:00Tags: |

In the heart of Louisiana's ‘Cancer Alley’, women community leaders are organizing against a new wave of industrial projects disguised as climate solutions. Through door-to-door canvassing in the predominantly Black community of St. Rose, activists like Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh are educating their neighbors about the dangers of proposed ‘clean’ hydrogen and ‘blue’ ammonia plants. These women, alongside coalition leaders like Eloise Reid and Monique Harden, expose the projects' reliance on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a scam that is designed to secure massive federal tax credits while prolonging fossil fuel dependence and creating new pollution risks. Their fight is both against corporations and a petrostate government where lawmakers have weakened regulations to favor the fossil fuel industry. From this series of grassroots resistance, these women are challenging a powerful narrative that attempts to sell more pollution as a solution to the climate crisis.

26 07, 2024

NYC Protesters Target AIG Over East African Crude Oil Pipeline

2025-11-07T21:34:42-05:00Tags: , , |

In New York City, a coalition of women-led climate justice groups organized a protest targeting the insurance giant AIG for its potential role in the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Written by Jessica Corbett, the article highlights the powerful voices of activists including Molly Ornati of 350 Brooklyn, Mohiba Ahmed of DRUM, and Beth Yirga of the Black Hive. The protest demanded that AIG join over two dozen other insurers in refusing to cover the nearly 900-mile pipeline, which is set to displace over 100,000 people in Uganda and Tanzania and is described by activists as a "carbon bomb”. The women leaders framed their resistance as a global fight for climate justice, connecting the pipeline to legacies of environmental racism and corporate exploitation around the world. This collective action demonstrates a powerful act of international solidarity with the frontline communities fighting the pipeline in East Africa.

25 07, 2024

Casey Camp-Horinek: “Indigenous Wisdom: Resilience, Adaptation, and Seeing Nature as Ourselves”

2026-05-27T23:28:57-04:00Tags: |

Casey Camp-Horinek, Councilwoman and Hereditary Drumkeeper of the Women’s Scalp Dance Society of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma, discusses her decades of work in Indigenous and environmental activism. Casey speaks of her experience with Osprey Orielle Lake, the Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), of which Casey is a board member, at a gathering of women in 2011. Casey said she felt that it was outstanding to be a part of that gathering to learn, hear, and participate, and it was at this gathering where she first heard of the phrase “rights of nature” uttered by her now close friend, Shannon Biggs, a co-founder of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN). Her original thought upon hearing the phrase was “Oh, golly, another law around nature. I mean, another man made law, right?” She says it took years to understand that if the Rights of Nature could be reflected in her territory, it would have to be grounded in the cosmology of the Ponca Nation’s teachings and put into the form of Western law so that it could pass through the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Department of Interior. Because of her advocacy, the Ponca Nation became the first Tribe in the State of Oklahoma to adopt the Rights of Nature Statute in 2017, as well as again in 2022 when the Ponca Nation adopted a resolution recognizing the rights of Ní’skà (the Arkansas River), Ni’ží’dè (the Salt Fork River), as well as other water bodies flowing through their territory. Casey was also instrumental in the drafting and adoption of the first International Indigenous Women’s Treaty protecting the Rights of Nature.

25 06, 2024

Three ideas to beat the heat, and the people who made them happen

2025-05-24T19:19:18-04:00Tags: , , |

The article highlights how extreme heat impacts vulnerable workers, especially women, and shares three innovations to mitigate these harms. One example is Hansa Ahir, a waste recycler in Ahmedabad, India, whose income has been halved because it’s too dangerous to work in midday heat. To address this, she bought a low-cost insurance policy through the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), which compensates her when temperatures rise. This provides financial security for women like Ahir, who depend on daily wages. Additionally, tools like Extrema Global, a mobile app that helps people find cool routes and rest spots, protect those exposed to heat, including women balancing outdoor work and caregiving. Legal protections for outdoor workers, like farmworkers in Washington state, where laws entitle them to water, shade, and breaks, show how workers in agriculture and informal sectors are particularly vulnerable. Extreme heat exacerbates gender disparities in income, health, and safety, but practical solutions are emerging to help women and other laborers adapt.

21 06, 2024

‘Historic’ Settlement With Youth Will Force Hawaiian Transit System to Speed Decarbonization

2026-05-28T14:12:32-04:00Tags: , |

Thirteen plaintiffs, aged between 9 and 18, filed a case in 2022 alleging that the state government was violating their rights under the Hawai’ian Constitution by investing in fossil fuel-intensive infrastructure that would worsen the effects of the climate crisis. Julia Olson, the founder and legal chief of Our Children’s Trust, stated that they “activated the courts and inspired true democracy in action—all three branches of government committing to work together to do what needs to be done according to best available science, to safeguard their futures.” Days before the case was set to go to trial, the state’s governor and Department of Transportation announced an unprecedented settlement that will expedite the decarbonisation of Hawai’i’s transit system and formally recognises children’s constitutional rights to a life-sustaining climate. Under the settlement, the Hawai’i Department of Transportation agreed to implement transformative changes to Hawai’i’s transportation system in order to achieve the state’s legally established goal of net-negative emissions by 2045. Marking a pivotal step in protecting Hawai’i for future generations. One plaintiff expressed hope that the case will inspire youth around the world to hold leaders accountable for the future they will inherit.

26 05, 2024

Celebrating Women’s Impact in Food Policy

2025-04-18T17:39:12-04:00Tags: |

Women have played a critical role in shaping food policy, driving change, and advocating for equitable access to nutritious food. From grassroots activists to policymakers, their leadership has been essential in promoting food justice and sustainability. Women such as Marion Nestle, a renowned nutritionist and author, have pioneered vital reforms in food politics, advocating for transparency and public health accountability. Karen Karp, founder of Karen Karp & Partners, has advanced urban agriculture and local food economies, while Frances Moore Lappé, the author of Diet for a Small Planet, has inspired shifts toward sustainable diets and environmental stewardship. Grassroots leaders like Sheryll Durrant and Karen Washington have tackled food justice and sovereignty, uplifting marginalized communities through urban agriculture and community gardening initiatives. Leaders like Danielle Nierenberg, founder of Food Tank, and Helena Bottemiller Evich, creator of FoodFix, have shaped public discourse on food systems through media platforms. As more women take leadership roles, addressing ongoing inequities and amplifying diverse voices will be essential in advancing inclusive food policies.

15 05, 2024

Solar Pre-Apprenticeship Program Can Yield Positive Change in Georgia

2025-12-04T01:16:31-05:00Tags: |

Anne Rice is the founder and executive director of Sustainable Georgia Futures (SGF), a Black-women-led, nonpartisan, grassroots organization and collective of expert organizers and community leaders dedicated to building power in Georgia’s marginalized communities to advance an inclusive economy and promote environmental justice. SFG has demonstrated these commitments through their paid fellowship program that provides climate change education, community training, workshops, and monthly Climate Justice Education meetings that build consensus on issues and address and devise action plans. Rice is planning to expand their established WeatherRise energy efficiency program that provides weatherization improvements for low to moderate-income Black households in Atlanta. Moreover, SGF has been working with local organizations to develop a pilot Solar Pre-Apprenticeship Program that would provide program members with hands-on experience with Atlanta-based solar installers in order to ensure that people of color have equitable opportunities to be hired in the wave of solar-related jobs. Rice stated that systemic environmental racism is a key contributing factor  to the disproportionate energy burdens on low to moderate-income Black households in the city, alongside unequal wages and lack of access to affordable housing. Addressing these burdens requires a shift in how society approaches and supports marginalized communities. SGF works to recognize the interconnectedness of workforce development, climate change, and systemic racism and uplifting black and brown communities through opportunities. By doing so, they aim to dismantle oppressive systems and create positive change.

10 05, 2024

The Climate Crisis is a Narrative Crisis

2026-05-10T17:01:46-04:00Tags: |

According to Green 2.0, people of color make up almost 40% of the U.S. population but account for only 12-16% of the environmental movement. Wawa Gatheru is a Kenyan-American, Gen Z activist committed to changing this statistic by bringing more Black women and girls into the climate movement. One of the ways she is doing this is through her organization ‘Black Girl Environmentalist’ which was founded back in 2021. It’s dedicated to supporting Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people who want to become climate leaders by filling the resource and mentorship gaps for those early in their careers. She also recognizes that cultural narratives keep many people of color from claiming the label ‘environmentalist.’ There has been an exclusion of Black history and a lack of recognition of the Black experience within environmental scholarship and curriculum. However, she asserts that Black people have always had a relationship with the land and have sought to protect it. Therefore, she encourages others to reclaim the language of the environmental movement and to write and tell their own stories.

9 04, 2024

Organizing against Nuclear Power in the aftermath of Three Mile Island

2025-12-09T23:43:03-05:00Tags: |

“Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island,” directed by Heidi Hutner, revisits one of America's most controversial nuclear disasters: the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island power plant in Pennsylvania in 1979. At the heart of the story are four women: Linda Braasch, Beth Drazba, Paula Kinney and Joyce Corradi, who lived near the plant and refused to remain silent when the authorities dismissed their concerns. Instead of heeding officials’ advice to "go home and bake cookies," they founded Concerned Mothers and Women, a grassroots movement demanding accountability from the nuclear industry and the government. Their determination exposed the denial and secrecy surrounding the accident and its health consequences. Many residents later suffered from cancer and other illnesses believed to be linked to radiation exposure. Despite their personal losses, these women transformed their fear into activism, helping to shape the national anti-nuclear and environmental justice movements. Through archival footage and personal testimonies, Hutner’s documentary celebrates their courage and resilience and questions the true cost of nuclear energy. This documentary keeps their voices alive and reminds us why their fight still matters today. As governments once again consider nuclear power as an alternative energy source, it serves as a cautionary reminder to approach such choices and actions with memory, accountability, and care, to ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated.

15 02, 2024

Strength for the Next Disaster

2025-04-09T14:49:35-04:00Tags: |

Roishetta Ozane is a longtime community organizer living in close proximity to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility known as Calcasieu Pass (CP2) near Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. She was interviewed by Patagonia regarding her activism against CP2. Originally from Ruleville, Mississippi, Ozane highlights both the town’s and her own family’s history of activism, as well as her personal journey of overcoming structural oppression. Later in life, she founded a mutual aid organization, The Vessel Project, which provides financial assistance to community members in need—helping them navigate and overcome bureaucratic obstacles. Ozane explains that this continuous support enables the community to feel uplifted in their ongoing struggle for environmental justice. During the Biden administration, the United States became the leading international exporter of what Ozane calls “LMG,” or liquified methane gas—emphasizing the unnatural process of extraction. She underscores the adverse effects of pollution and environmental degradation on human health, which she witnesses firsthand in her own children developing chronic illnesses. Infrastructural problems, already strained by climate change, often have more severe impacts on towns like Mossville—founded by formerly enslaved people—whose residents were later displaced by the LNG industry and received little financial compensation compared to wealthier, White communities. Ozane calls for the direct involvement of frontline communities in future negotiations and for the reinstatement of the ban on LNG exports and other fossil fuels. She envisions successful resistance to fossil fuel infrastructure through community strengthening, emphasizing the importance of not viewing CP2 as an isolated issue, but as part of a broader structural problem.

14 02, 2024

How The Us Government Began Its Decade-Long Campaign Against The Anti-Pipeline Movement

2026-09-27T21:22:25-04:00Tags: |

Frontline women leaders and legal advocates—including the late Lakota activist Debra White Plume and Red Fawn Fallis, organizer Sabrina King, civil liberties attorney Lauren Regan, and Rosebud Sioux Tribe land director Paula Antoine—have spent years navigating severe state repression to protect their territories from fossil fuel industry. Their pivotal roles in the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline protests are contextualized in this investigative report. It is revealed that the FBI and U.S. State Department began surveilling Indigenous Organizers and Native youth as early as 2012, and developing a sweeping domestic intelligence network in direct collusion with fossil fuel corporations. By falsely labeling Indigenous land defenders as extremists, the state established the playbook for the highly militarized crackdowns later seen at Standing Rock and Line 3. The report exposes the extreme, coordinated lengths the government and the oil industry will go to suppress the fossil fuel resistance movement, and emphasizes that protecting frontline defenders from criminalization is an essential prerequisite for achieving a just and complete phaseout of fossil fuels.

8 02, 2024

New guidebook supports U.S. tribal nations in adopting rights-of-nature laws

2025-10-09T13:35:37-04:00Tags: , |

The “Guide to Rights of Nature in Indian Country” is a guidebook published by the Native-led Bioneers Indigeneity Program and authored by members of the Rights of Nature in Indian Country Team, including Cara Romero, Alexis Bunten, David Greendeer, Brittany Gondolfi, Samantha Skenandore, and Danielle Greendeer. The report provides strategies and resources for Indigenous communities interested in enacting laws granting ecosystems, landscapes, and species legal rights and personhood. The guidebook presents case studies of tribes that have enacted rights-of-nature laws, including through constitutions, ordinances, and resolutions, all while examining the pros and cons of each method, and examples of how tribes have navigated these decisions. A few of the several case studies covered of Tribal nations include the 2016 Ho-Chunk Nation resolution to add the rights of nature to its constitution; the 2017 Ponca Nation resolution to grant nature the right to exist and establish rights to clean air, water, and freedom from pollution; the 2018 White Earth Ojibwe resolution acknowledging the rights of wild rice to flourish; and the 2022 Sauk Tribe v. Seattle case with salmon as the plaintiff, resulting in the city agreeing to provide fish passages in any new permit or permit renewal for hydro dams. In addition to case studies, guidance is provided for community engagement steps like surveying community perspectives, holding educational gatherings, and forming planning committees, as well as tools and templates such as sample fliers, surveys, and presentations. Outside of this guidebook, the Bioneers Rights of Nature website states, “If you are interested in bringing this movement to your community, we would be happy to brainstorm with you.”

8 02, 2024

New guidebook supports U.S. tribal nations in adopting rights-of-nature laws

2025-12-04T01:02:32-05:00Tags: |

The “Guide to Rights of Nature in Indian Country” is a guidebook published by the Native-led Bioneers Indigeneity Program and authored by members of the Rights of Nature in Indian Country Team, including Cara Romero, Alexis Bunten, David Greendeer, Brittany Gondolfi, Samantha Skenandore, and Danielle Greendeer. The report provides strategies and resources for Indigenous communities interested in enacting laws granting ecosystems, landscapes, and species legal rights and personhood. The guidebook presents case studies of tribes that have enacted rights-of-nature laws, including through constitutions, ordinances, and resolutions, all while examining the pros and cons of each method, and examples of how tribes have navigated these decisions. A few of the several case studies covered of Tribal nations include the 2016 Ho-Chunk Nation resolution to add the rights of nature to its constitution; the 2017 Ponca Nation resolution to grant nature the right to exist and establish rights to clean air, water, and freedom from pollution; the 2018 White Earth Ojibwe resolution acknowledging the rights of wild rice to flourish; and the 2022 Sauk Tribe v. Seattle case with salmon as the plaintiff, resulting in the city agreeing to provide fish passages in any new permit or permit renewal for hydro dams. In addition to case studies, guidance is provided for community engagement steps like surveying community perspectives, holding educational gatherings, and forming planning committees, as well as tools and templates such as sample fliers, surveys, and presentations. Outside of this guidebook, the Bioneers Rights of Nature website states, “If you are interested in bringing this movement to your community, we would be happy to brainstorm with you.”

25 01, 2024

Meet the woman in charge of Chicago’s fight against pollution, environmental injustice

2025-05-24T19:22:09-04:00Tags: |

Angela Tovar, Chicago's Chief Sustainability Officer, is spearheading efforts to combat pollution through gender- and racially-inclusive urban design. Drawing from her experiences growing up near steel mills and industrial pollution, Tovar is focused on addressing environmental harms in Black, Brown, and low-income communities, particularly in South and West Chicago. Her initiatives, centered on community and spatial justice, include improving zoning regulations, implementing community-level air quality monitoring, and developing green infrastructure that prioritizes vulnerable groups. Tovar's work ensures that historically marginalized communities are at the forefront of Chicago’s push for environmental justice and reduced carbon emissions.

9 01, 2024

How 3 Indigenous women are leading the way on climate change

2025-02-21T17:21:36-05:00Tags: |

This article highlights the work of Amelia Marchand (Colville), Lydia Jennings (Pascua Yaqui and Huichol), and Roberta Turraq Glenn-Borade (Iñupiaq). These women embody the many Indigenous communities that have been living in harmony with the environment and leading the charge to protect the Earth. Marchand, a policy advocate and environmental educator, works with climate scientists to promote ethical research conduction, especially as it pertains to tribal knowledge. She focuses on maintaining data sovereignty, intellectual property agreements, and other rights that have not been upheld in past research. Jennings, a soil microbiologist, researches deferral agencies and policy surrounding natural gas and mineral mining in and around tribal land. She emphasizes the necessity of holding space for traditional ecological knowledge and protecting the rights and data of Indigenous communities. Glenn-Boarde, a geoscientist, bridges the gap between traditional ecological knowledge and Western scientific knowledge by working as a project coordinator and community liaison. She emphasizes the importance of listening to the communities that have been living the reality of climate change and have been adapting since. Indigenous people are catamount to addressing the climate crisis. Their rights and knowledge must be protected throughout the process.

4 01, 2024

What’s in That Bottle?

2026-03-27T17:09:44-04:00Tags: |

In an interview with Inside Climate News reporter Victoria St. Martin, Aynsley O'Neill and Steve Curwood talk about toxic chemicals in cosmetics and how they are—or are not—being regulated. Though it is known that these chemicals are found in cosmetics and can cause health problems, including cancer, there are still many unanswered questions. Unlike the EU, which has banned over 2,000 chemicals, the U.S. has only restricted or banned 11, and the rules are out of date. Just 30 people in the Food and Drug Administration are responsible for checking the multi-billion-dollar beauty industry. This means that not enough safety is guaranteed for people to use these products. A new law called the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act is supposed to change that by giving more authority to the FDA and making sure that products found to be harmful are removed from the market. One thing everyone can do is check their products on a website called "Skin Deep," a cosmetic database from an organization called the Environmental Working Group. We must demand more and push for safer products.

11 12, 2023

18 California Children Are Suing The EPA Over Climate Change

2026-07-02T22:33:20-04:00Tags: |

Eighteen California children are suing the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming it violated their constitutional rights by failing to protect them from the effects of climate change. The case is the latest in a growing series of climate lawsuits brought on behalf of children. The lead plaintiff in Genesis B v. EPA is a 17-year-old Long Beach resident whose parents cannot afford air conditioning. As extreme heat days become more frequent, the lawsuit argues that she is unable to stay cool at home during the day and must wait until evening, when temperatures drop, to focus on her schoolwork. The other plaintiffs, ranging in age from 8 to 17, have each experienced the impacts of climate change in different ways. The federal lawsuit argues that the EPA violated the children’s constitutional rights by allowing carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to continue warming the climate. Julia Olson, Chief Legal Counsel for Our Children’s Trust, stated that the EPA, an agency tasked with protecting the health of children, has instead failed to do so and must be held accountable. The lawsuit builds on a 2023 legal victory in Montana, where a judge ruled that the state had violated the constitutional right of 16 young plaintiffs to a clean and healthful environment. Together, these cases highlight the growing role of young people, in particular young women, in using the courts to demand stronger climate action and accountability.

24 11, 2023

When sea levels rise, so does your rent

2025-05-24T18:46:00-04:00Tags: |

Climate change and gentrification are intricately connected. Florida’s Miami Beach neighborhoods are experiencing this firsthand. Property development and displacement are working hand in hand to price poor Caribbean communities out of inland neighborhoods, away from rising sea levels. This process has led some to refer to the residents of Little Haiti as victims of the ‘climate-gentrification’ phenomenon, which constitutes “a process whereby wealthy people displace poorer people from areas that are better equipped to withstand the impacts of a changing climate.” Local Little Haiti resident Renita Holmes is a key voice campaigning against the displacement, saying, "I am resilient, I am empowered, and as long as I've got empowerment, resilience, and a voice, I will live here." Like many others in her community, her rent has skyrocketed as a result of the projected development and because, as she explains, "Land development is in, people development is out."

1 11, 2023

Milwaukee County Recognizes Rights of Nature, Joining Global Movement

2025-02-14T13:32:34-05:00Tags: |

In 2023, Milwaukee County signed a resolution declaring that the county’s water land has the right to exist and thrive free of human interference. Lina Tran, a reporter with Milwaukee’s NPR station, narrates the progression of this movement. Earlier in the year, a small group of WISDOM, a state interfaith organization, began to hear from the Indigenous Menīkānaehkem peoples about how Rights of Nature could be signed into law. Motivated by these voices, Supervisor Liz Sumner authored the resolution to offer legal protection to the waters of the county. This legal framework is critical not only for human gain, but also for the protection of landscapes. As the fight against pipelines in the Great Lakes surges on, women activists across the country now have firmer legal legs to stand on.

25 10, 2023

Fossil Fuel Firms Spent Millions On US Lawmakers Who Sponsored Anti-Protest Bills

2026-05-30T10:13:49-04:00Tags: |

Nina Lakhani, a global climate justice correspondent for The Guardian, reports on the harms of corporate interference in democratic systems. Fossil fuel companies have spent millions of dollars on lobbying and donating to state lawmakers who sponsored anti-protest laws. According to a report from Greenpeace USA, 60% of U.S. gas and oil operations are now shielded from protest and civil disobedience, a consequence of the more than 250 anti-protest bills introduced across 45 states since 2017. Eighteen states, including Montana, Ohio, Georgia, and Louisiana have enacted sweeping anti-protest laws that increase penalties for trespass near ‘critical infrastructure,’ making it riskier for communities to oppose pipelines and other projects that harm the climate. The report also found that nine of the top ten companies that lobbied most for anti-protest bills since 2017 are fossil fuel companies. Experts argue that these laws restrict First Amendment protected rights to free speech, assembly and protest. The tactics form part of a playbook first deployed in the US following the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock in 2016. They include mass arrests, spurious litigation, intelligence sharing, harsh policing and smear campaigns to depict activists as trouble makers and extremists. And are part of a broader global strategy to silence, discredit and criminalize environmental activists and Indigenous rights defenders.

20 10, 2023

Queer women are prioritizing climate and health issues over LGBTQ+ rights, new poll shows

2025-02-21T17:51:16-05:00Tags: |

A qualitative survey done with LGBTQ+ women found that climate and healthcare concerns were prioritized over their personal struggles for justice. This reflects a sentiment in the movement that liberation is bigger than just one movement, and that it is an intersectional fight. These overarching issues, such as environmental and climate crises, affect LGBTQ+ women just as they do anyone else, and there has been a call for queer justice spaces to reflect the concerns that are most pressing for people in these moments. These perspectives are seldom heard, but are deeply important in understanding the needs and lives of these women and for ushering in liberation for all.

28 09, 2023

La Doña Is Singing Her Way To Climate Justice

2025-04-23T11:47:38-04:00Tags: |

La Doña, a bilingual femmeton artist, uses her music to champion Latine communities while combating gentrification and environmental racism. Her Mexican roots and Chicana heritage strongly influence her work, which spans genres and generations, including feminist reggaeton. Growing up in the Bay Area, she witnessed the effects of climate change on her community and students, many of whom come from Central America. She emphasizes the importance of Latine communities taking a stand on climate justice. La Doña began her musical journey at a young age, recognizing the need for representation of her community and values in music. Her song "Cuando Se Van" addresses gentrification and climate change, reflecting San Francisco's challenges. She feels a responsibility as an artist and educator to raise awareness about critical issues. She believes music can mobilize communities for change by creating a platform for discussions. La Doña's hope lies in the youth she works with, who inspire her with their determination and direction, leading the way in addressing climate change and other challenges.

14 09, 2023

Living Breakwater: Kate Orff’s Coastal Defense System Wins Obel Award 2023

2025-04-09T23:06:03-04:00Tags: |

Kate Orff's landscape studio, Scape, has clinched the prestigious Obel Award for 2023 with its groundbreaking Living Breakwaters project in New York City. Orff's dedication to environmental stewardship and innovative design shines through in this transformative endeavor, which seamlessly integrates natural and artificial elements to offer a sustainable solution for coastal defense. Living Breakwaters, currently under construction along Staten Island's coast, not only aims to mitigate flood risks but also to enhance marine ecology by attracting marine life, particularly oysters. These "ecologically enhanced" structures incorporate ridges and grooves to encourage wildlife habitation, forming an artificial reef spanning 223 square meters. As Scape prepares to receive the esteemed award at the Sydney Opera House, Living Breakwaters stands as a testament to Orff's commitment to designing with nature amidst climate and biodiversity crises, inspiring hope and innovation in the realm of landscape architecture and environmental conservation. This forward-thinking, cost-effective approach sets a significant precedent for designing in harmony with nature to adapt to the evolving landscape.

29 07, 2023

A New Food Bill of Rights: Why Representation Matters

2025-07-29T18:07:46-04:00Tags: , |

Women and Girls Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture (WANDA) is a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on women and girls of African descent in the food system. WANDA has launched a national survey to help shape a new U.S. food bill of rights, aiming to address racial and gender inequalities by advocating for representation and equity across the food system to ensure healthy production and consumption. Less than 3% of nutritionists and only 1.5% of U.S. food producers are Black, with far fewer being women, largely due to discriminatory policies. WANDA's initiatives include national surveys, support for “food sheroes,” and Sisterhood Suppers that foster dialogue and build community. Founder Tambra Raye Stevenson emphasizes the importance of Black women’s inclusion in policymaking for a sustainable food future. The organization also advocates for addressing food apartheid and sees the fight for food justice as deeply intertwined with the fight for racial justice. WANDA collaborates with organizations like the NAACP to elevate these issues in policy discussions and celebrates WANDA Week, beginning on Juneteenth, to honor Black women’s contributions to the food system.

27 07, 2023

Planting Seeds for More Equitable Farming

2026-05-27T19:29:35-04:00Tags: |

Abril Donea is a farmer and herbalist working in Georgia, U.S.A. to challenge who gets to belong in agriculture and who has access to land-based knowledge. As a Nigerian American and Native American, she centers her work on the idea that farming and herbalism should not be limited by race, class, or inherited privilege, but instead be open to anyone who wants to steward the land. Her mission is to decolonize farming and herbalism by actively working to reclaim and reframe these practices from the US systems that have historically erased Indigenous and Black contributions. Through her business, Beauty Herbs & Tea, she grows herbs and medicinal plants and through her Tea Business School, she shares what she has learned, turning her farm into both a production space and an educational platform. The broader context around her work highlights how deeply unjust access to land and agricultural resources remains in the United States, especially for Black farmers who have lost millions of acres of farmland over time due to historic and ongoing violence, discrimination, and systemic barriers. Donea’s work is framed as both personal and political: a form of reclaiming ancestral relationships to land while building economic and cultural spaces where that knowledge can be practiced, shared, and sustained.

27 07, 2023

The Color of Grass Roots: Diversifying the Climate Movement

2023-12-05T13:24:30-05:00Tags: , |

Heather McTeer Toney highlights the immediate intersectionality of the climate crisis and the historic and contemporary struggles, work, and hope of BIPOC communities throughout it. Toney is Greenville, Mississippi’s youngest and first Black female mayor and has been fighting for water rights in her area, not realizing that she was continuing a legacy of environmentalism that goes back hundreds of years. Black communities have been at the frontlines of environmental and climate related issues for centuries as environmental justice is inextricably linked to their experiences of social justice. Toney highlights the need for affected communities to be involved in decision making in the future. She then shifts the conversation to hope and perseverance by uplifting faith communities that have provided safe and empowering spaces for Black communities throughout various movements. This hope has often been missing from the climate movement. Recognizing the climate crisis as part of a contemporary continuation of historic systems of oppression and learning from the communities leading the way to justice is how we can make radical change.  Photo Credit: United Women in Faith

16 06, 2023

On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities

2025-02-21T18:18:13-05:00Tags: |

Chicago local Naomi Davis is a visionary and grassroots activist whose drive for urban environmental justice underpins her work, advocacy, and climate action. She is the founder and CEO of Blacks in Green (BIG), uplifting Black neighborhoods through environmental revitalization. BIG fights economic, social, and health collapse in Black neighborhoods through socio-environmental revitalization projects. Harnessing creativity and the green revolution as a path out of poverty, BIG programs cover job training, educational programs, and community gardens. Given that communities of color are disproportionately affected by industrial pollution, these projects prioritize building power through localized environmental justice. BIG is gaining traction, with grants to expand programs to create healthier, cleaner, and safer neighborhoods across the Midwest. Davis’s approach continues to build equitable and sustainable cityscapes through grassroots organizing and green revival.

15 06, 2023

Indigenous Land Return as Climate Justice

2025-02-21T17:35:27-05:00Tags: |

Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, an Oakland-based, urban Indigenous women-led land rematriation effort, demonstrates the importance of the land back movement in fostering intersectional climate justice. Land back is the push for the return and re-Indigenization of land that was forcefully taken through colonization. Sogorea Te’ is guided by the native Lisjan people’s concept of himmetka, a central gathering place. The first piece of land in the trust was returned by a non-profit working with formerly incarcerated and recently migrated people and later became the central gathering site of the trust. This concept has evolved to encompass new intentions for the space, with Sogorea Te’ focusing on sustaining culturally based climate resilience hubs for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Expanding on Indigenous epistemology of care, the hubs include water, aid, food, and other resources for historically underserved communities who have been left out of aid efforts in climate crises. The trust is working through the bureaucratic process surrounding land rematriation, but the stewards of Sogorea Te’ have nearly full access to caretake and exist on the land as they see fit, including educational, environmental, medicinal, and cultural purposes. Land back is a powerful and necessary part of holistic climate justice.

15 06, 2023

Q&A: Guardian climate justice reporter Nina Lakhani asks who should own the climate narrative

2025-04-23T11:44:13-04:00Tags: |

Nina Lakhani, The Guardian's environmental justice reporter, discusses her role. She joined in 2019, focusing on environmental and climate justice, emphasizing the importance of viewing climate change through an equity lens. She highlights a story involving Berta Cáceres, an Indigenous leader opposing the construction of a dam, underlining the importance of justice in climate reporting. Lakhani sees her role as a corrective in journalism, addressing diversity issues and the historical imposition of solutions on marginalized communities by environmental movements. She emphasizes covering Indigenous climate solutions, citing their sustainable practices. Lakhani believes solutions exist within these communities. In global climate negotiations, she urges journalists to use terms like "reparations" and "liability" to reflect community demands. In U.S. climate politics, Lakhani critiques the focus on vehicle electrification in the Inflation Reduction Act without addressing public transportation and battery environmental impacts. She calls for broader global perspectives in climate reporting, connecting energy projects with on-the-ground impacts on environmental justice communities.

9 06, 2023

In New York City, Sepia-Toned Days Drive Home Climate Change Realities

2025-03-30T23:24:24-04:00Tags: |

In New York City, author Candice Helfand-Rogers sheds light on the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and children. She describes how she, as a mother, witnessed the effects of smoky air and poor air quality on herself and her son due to wildfires hundreds of miles away. By recounting her son's questions and their confinement at home, she illustrates the immediate and tangible impacts of climate change on their daily lives. Through personal experiences and observations, she highlights the effects of the air pollution caused by the fires, emphasizing the challenges faced by women and children. The article explores the disruption of education and childcare during climate-related events and recognizes women’s resilience in navigating these situations. It acknowledges that women often bear a greater burden of responsibilities, such as childcare, and are disproportionately affected by issues like food and water scarcity and lack of shelter during extreme weather events. Helfand-Rogers also touches on the issue of environmental racism, where marginalized communities face heightened dangers from climate change. The article emphasizes the need for women’s involvement in decision-making and action calls for collective responsibility in addressing climate change.

22 05, 2023

For a Just Transition, Recruit More Women Electricians

2024-02-14T17:04:31-05:00Tags: |

The trades in general and electrical work specifically are largely male-dominated industries. Only 2% of electricians are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nevertheless, to transition away from fossil fuels and toward electrifying cars and buildings, the United States will need approximately one million more electricians.  Unfortunately, women are often excluded from well-paid jobs because of widespread harassment and abuse, lack of visibility, exclusionary unions, childcare, and a lack of support for caregivers. Tonya Hicks was able to overcome various challenges on the basis of her gender and race and become an electrician, and opened her own firm, Power Solutions, in Atlanta. Hicks and her staff of nine specialize in renewable energy projects, home retrofits and electric vehicle chargers manufacturing. Photo Credit: Greg Morris Photography/Nontraditional Employment for Women

7 05, 2023

A New Series, “Tokala,” Spotlights BIPOC Youth Climate Activists

2025-05-24T22:04:05-04:00Tags: |

In the spotlight are two women activists making a difference in climate action on the West Coast of the United States. Danielle Rey Frank, a Hoopa activist, fights to restore water levels and protect rivers in Northern California. Meanwhile, Atlakatl Ce Tochtli Orozco, a 23-year-old activist in Los Angeles, advocates for housing rights amid the city's homelessness crisis. These inspiring women leaders showcase the work of individual women and women-led organizations, emphasizing climate justice, Indigenous rights, and the need for diverse voices in decision-making. They tackle environmental and social challenges with resilience, offering concrete solutions like dam removal and affordable housing initiatives, making positive impacts on their communities and the planet.

4 05, 2023

Q&A: Floodlight’s Amal Ahmed covers Texas communities on the climate story’s front lines

2025-04-23T12:04:59-04:00Tags: |

Amal Ahmed, a Texas journalist, got into climate reporting after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. She focuses on environmental justice in a state with a major fossil fuel industry but also significant renewable energy production. Her work highlights the impact of fossil fuel infrastructure on communities. She urges reporters to focus on equity in climate stories. For story ideas, she suggests connecting with grassroots groups, tracking government agencies, and paying attention to legislative sessions. Her priority is to ensure that her reporting resonates with the communities she covers, giving a voice to their experiences and concerns.

4 05, 2023

Jenny Odell Is Reimagining Time to Tackle Climate

2025-04-23T11:35:05-04:00Tags: |

Jenny Odell's "Saving Time" challenges the idea that time equals money, blaming capitalism for disconnecting us from natural rhythms and making us passive about climate change. She explores the history of time, from standardized colonial time to resistance against time-as-money. Odell argues that this perception hinders climate action. She offers alternative, kinder time concepts. Rather than urgency, she suggests viewing ourselves as already in the climate crisis. Odell aims to inspire agency and openness to possibilities. She believes that time can take various forms, like nature's cycles or our grandparents' unhurried outlook.

17 04, 2023

Imagining a World Without Prisons

2023-11-28T18:55:42-05:00Tags: , |

Molly Lipson, a journalist and community organizer, discusses the intersections between carceral and environmental justice. She highlights the ways that prisons contribute to environmental degradation and the perpetuation of systems that work against historically underserved communities. Lipson showcases the discussion of the progress and tensions between sustainable futures and grassroots abolition movements with Andrea Johnson from the Renewable Rikers project and Jordan Martinez-Mazurek from Fight Toxic Prisons. Johnson is the architect of the Renewable Rikers project, which works to stop the toxicity of Rikers Island prison for inmates and those living in surrounding communities. Lipson captures her conversation with Martinez-Mazurek about the importance of making change for people actively impacted by the carceral system and its contingencies, as well as ensuring that society works towards an abolitionist future. Justice movements go hand in hand, and it’s necessary to understand the nuances of their intersections to achieve a better future for all. Photo credit: Nico Krijno

6 04, 2023

At front lines of climate battle, a Miami course prepares women of color to lead the fight

2025-04-23T12:07:03-04:00Tags: |

In Miami's Liberty City, the CLEO Institute's Empowering Resilient Women program brings together diverse women of color, acknowledging their frontline role in facing climate change impacts. Led by Nayshma Jones, the program uplifts these already active community members by addressing environmental challenges, fostering collective support, and providing tools for resilience and leadership. This initiative, evolving from basic education to hands-on urban gardening, aims to connect these women to the land, promote sustainability, and uplift them as community leaders to address pressing climate issues while fostering social justice.

3 04, 2023

Climate Doomerism and Solutions Are the Focus of Sage Lenier’s Nonprofit

2025-03-30T23:17:56-04:00Tags: |

Sage Lenier's organization, Solutions for a Sustainable & Just Future, works to make climate education accessible while addressing climate doomerism, a mindset or perspective characterized by a deep sense of pessimism, hopelessness, and despair regarding the future impacts of climate change. The nonprofit organization offers solutions-focused and action-oriented environmental education through courses, workshops, and digital resources, covering various topics such as consumerism, capitalism, circular economy, urban planning, food systems, decarbonization, and environmental justice. It upholds a climate justice framework by emphasizing the need for women's involvement, recognizing diverse experiences, and promoting safe and accessible solutions. It aims to combat climate anxiety and inspire individuals to take action by providing a clear understanding of the problems and solutions related to the environment. The program seeks to make climate education accessible to high schools, communities, and the digital space, offering resources and engaging with community members. Lenier started the organization, Solutions for a Sustainable & Just Future, as an antidote to climate doomerism and to combat the feelings of guilt and hopelessness associated with the warming planet. She aimed to provide solutions-focused and action-oriented environmental education that was accessible and addressed the lack of comprehensive climate education. By offering courses and programs, she sought to uplift individuals with knowledge and inspire them to participate in environmental initiatives and organizations, ultimately making a tangible difference in their communities.

14 03, 2023

Short film: Freeport gas explosion and the community fighting back

2025-02-21T17:49:36-05:00Tags: |

After seeing a giant fireball launched 100 feet in the air after a gas explosion, residents of Freeport, Texas came together to fight the harmful industry plants polluting their home. Gwendolyn Jones of Citizens for Clean Air and Clean Water of Freeport and Brazoria County has been a leader in this work. Her family has lived in Freeport for generations and has been continuously disenfranchised by industry plants. Freeport is predominantly a community of color and 72% of the residents are considered low income. Like many others, it faces systemic environmental justice crises that the government ignores. It is a historically African American neighborhood. Over the last few decades, Port Freeport has been systematically displacing residents, and buying, and subsequently polluting, the land. Jones has watched her home be completely overturned while her community is treated as collateral damage. The residents face high risks of cancer and other health concerns, and Freeport is considered one of several “sacrifice zones” in the area. When the explosion came, the community was left on their own with no warning or support. After this, the community decided to take matters into their own hands. Jones and others are pushing for legal accountability, emergency response plans, and the phase out of plants and pipelines for future generations.

9 03, 2023

A Surfer Dives Into Her Heritage and Love for the Ocean

2025-12-10T01:14:41-05:00Tags: , |

Kimiko Russell-Halterman is an environmental educator with Brown Girl Surf, an organization that teaches young girls and non-binary youth to connect with the ocean and nature. Surfing is overwhelmingly white and male-dominated in the United States, a dynamic that has deepened historical patterns of exclusion toward Black people. Through her work, Russell-Halterman seeks to decolonize and promote the accessibility of the sport by conducting a storytelling project on cultural outdoor activities among members of the organization. Her connection to the water is tied to her matrilineal heritage and history. Her moment of inspiration came when she visited ama divers on the coast of the Mie Prefecture in Toba, Japan. There, she witnessed a millennia-old tradition of Japanese women divers who harvest from the sea floor without oxygen tanks, relying only on their breath. This experience deepened her desire for such knowledge, advancing her relationship with the ocean and renewing her appreciation for the simplicity of subsisting from the sea floor. As a marine science instructor, she has learned to harvest from the ocean floor herself, diving with a spear gun, Hawaiian sling, or even with her bare hands. However, ama culture is threatened by dwindling shellfish and a decreasing number of women entering the profession. Russell-Halterman seeks to deconstruct traditional perceptions of humans as destroyers of nature by teaching children how to reconnect with and live harmoniously within the natural world

27 01, 2023

We need native seeds in order to respond to climate change

2024-09-13T16:02:04-04:00Tags: , |

After the catastrophic wildfires, floods, and droughts in recent years across the United States, landscape restoration efforts are becoming more important than ever. In this article data journalist Kaitlyn Radde, reports how native seeds and habitats must play a central role in this endeavor, but in a new report experts warn that the US is experiencing seed shortages. Native seed banks and ecologists are fighting the clock to save native seeds given the dual threats of biodiversity loss and habitat destruction. Seed diversity and supply issues are high barriers for land restoration efforts, according to both the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Native seeds are a powerful resource because they are locally adapted and more suited to specific biomes, making them more resilient and beneficial to local fauna. There is also a pressing necessity to keep expanding the storage capacity, expertise, and genetic diversity of the seed bank to meet the growing challenges of climate change.

26 01, 2023

Extreme weather creates a food crisis for California farmworkers

2025-07-21T14:52:48-04:00Tags: , |

California’s farming industry has been strongly impacted by extreme weather events, including severe rainfalls that triggered mudslides, flooded communities, and killed numerous people while stripping others of their main sources of income and possessions. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that between 1.1 million and 1.9 million farmworkers and their family members face high levels of food insecurity. As a result of wildfires, heatwaves, drought and floods, various farm laborers are working fewer hours and their income has steadily decreased. Although the agricultural industry heavily depends on these vulnerable communities, farmworkers in California only earned an average $12 an hour, according to a 2015-2019 federal survey. Furthermore, many workers are undocumented and thus rarely qualify for unemployment, SNAP benefits, or state support such as the Calfresh Program. Farmworkers are part of the foundation of the United States and we must fight for their rights and lives.

5 01, 2023

Nature’s Tools Help Clean Up Urban Rivers

2024-02-14T10:16:22-05:00Tags: , |

This article, written by Katherine Rapin, explores the work of various organizations dedicated to restoring freshwater ecosystems through the reintroduction of bivalves (oysters and mussels) and aquatic plant species. These organisms improve water quality in numerous ways including nutrient cycling, acting as carbon sinks, and holding sediment together. Rapin highlights the work of Danielle Kreeger, the science director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, which oversees a freshwater mussel hatchery in the Philadelphia area. One important dimension of reintroduction work is retaining the genetic diversity of wild populations, while also not introducing any diseases. Kreeger mentions the work her team is conducting on biosecurity to ensure the safety of bivalve populations. As well, experts emphasize how reintroduction measures must be conducted in conjunction with other frameworks to decrease contaminants, especially the addition of excess nutrients in these waterways. According to Kelly Somers, the senior watershed coordinator of the EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region, in recent years, there have been discoveries of healthy seagrass beds along the Delaware River which are signifiers of improved water quality. Through decades of aquatic plant work, scientists attribute the growth of these populations to nature’s own capabilities in self-restoration and reductions in excess nutrients.  Photo Credit: Katherine Rapin

22 11, 2022

Indigenous and Black Communities Find Common Cause for Land Justice

2025-07-29T17:54:12-04:00Tags: , |

Black and Indigenous communities in the United States are coming together in solidarity, drawing on parallel histories of dispossession to reclaim stolen land. They are engaging with land in ways that aim to build community economies and decouple economic development from exploitative and unsustainable systems of extraction, exploitation, and trade. Reclaiming land and securing reparations that heal and strengthen communities oppressed under colonialism, capitalism, and slavery are key pillars of climate justice. By extending Indigenous land care, stewardship, and governance over ancestral territories, the Indigenous-led land rights movement is creating sustainable systems rooted in cultural values. This movement is shifting land from market-driven ownership into models of collective care. Examples include the Wiyot Tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust and the Native Land Conservancy. In Northern California, the Yurok Tribe is restoring timberlands that are both culturally and ecologically significant. Integrated land management systems, such as the Cultural Fire Management Council and the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network, are also transforming the way land is cared for. For Black communities, the land rights movement is grounded in the reclamation of farmlands and the fight against racist policies that have long blocked land ownership, such as redlining and restrictive lending practices. In this collaborative fight for land rights, both communities must continue to embrace their parallels and act in solidarity.

22 11, 2022

How Floating Wetlands Are Helping to Clean Up Urban Waters

2023-12-07T17:35:07-05:00Tags: |

As urban waters continue to face increasing pollution and degradation, researchers are installing artificial floating wetlands to combat the issue. Susan Cosier, an environmental and scientific journalist, reports on how these efforts are playing out in Chicago’s rivers. Instead of the uniform steel walls that usually surround urban river edges, Urban Rivers, a Chicago-based nonprofit, is replacing them with floating wetlands to recreate a natural river system. The floating islands host a diverse selection of native flora which help to filter contaminants and capture chemicals and metals in the water. The removal of surplus agricultural nutrients prevents harmful algal blooms that block out crucial oxygen and sunlight from reaching aquatic life. One researcher found that one acre of floating wetland is able to absorb the nutrient pollution produced by 7 to 15 acres of urban development. These wetlands also provide habitat for other plants to grow and aid invertebrates like mollusks and crustaceans in repopulating in the Chicago River. These efforts are multiplying globally, with projects taking place across the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and the United States. While these wetlands have incredible environmental benefits, researchers emphasize that they are just one tool that must be accompanied by other efforts to regulate and reduce pollution at the source. Photo Credit: Dave Burk/SOM

27 10, 2022

COP27 President Envoy on Youth: With Hurricanes, Floods, Heatwaves, Climate Change Cannot Be Ignored

2025-04-09T20:20:53-04:00Tags: |

Dr. Omnia El Omrani, the official Youth Envoy for COP 27, experienced the profound impact of climate change during Hurricane Irma's devastation in Miami back in 2017. As a medical professional, witnessing the influx of emergency patients due to the hurricane ignited her interest in environmental and climate issues. Over the years, she transformed into an activist, representing medical students and young doctors on the global stage, starting from COP24 in 2018 to COP26 in 2021. Her role as a climate change activist and community leader from Egypt is crucial in involving youth perspectives in COP27's implementation-focused strategy. The Youth Climate Summit COY17 has resulted in a statement reflecting youth perceptions and potential solutions, which will be discussed and debated during COP27. Dr. El Omrani's dedication extends to bridging awareness about climate change, influencing decision-makers, and creating educational curricula for universities, all with the goal of tackling climate challenges and promoting resilience, especially among vulnerable populations.

26 09, 2022

How Youth Are Stepping up Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

2025-02-21T16:57:47-05:00Tags: |

Youth activists have unique skill sets and knowledge, especially in environmental movements, and many have been coming together to protest the expansion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The 303-mile pipeline has been resisted by communities in affected Appalachian areas for generations, but today’s youth are in a unique position. Psalms White, Grace Tuttle, Jalyn Oxendine, and many others have been personally affected by the pipeline. In many cases, it has been a defining constant in their lives. Their futures are most at risk from the rapidly accelerating climate crisis, but they also have new tools at their disposal to enact change. Growing up in the digital age makes them able to communicate, organize, and educate more easily and efficiently than ever before. Additionally, any knowledge passed down to them from their elders can become widespread. The communities face danger from law enforcement, structural violence, public health inequities, and more, but they are pushing for their futures and their homes. The MVP protests are intergenerational in nature, and the shared knowledge and resources of communities coming together is bringing in a new era of change.

21 09, 2022

Ocean Conservation For La Gente

2025-05-24T21:59:43-04:00Tags: |

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš is the Founder and Executive Director of Azul, the only U.S. marine conservation group for Latines. She discusses how the conservation sphere has traditionally been closed to Latine communities, immigrant communities, and non-English speaking environmentalists, often observing nonprofits that have failed to intersect climate and environmental issues with the struggles these communities face. Azul focuses primarily on fisher people’s rights and campaigning against ocean-based fossil fuel infrastructure. However, another core focus of the group is to push back against misinformed discourses which portray Latines as blind to climate issues and not progressive environmentalist voters. Part of this push back is to show that environmentalism does not need to look one way, or be understood the way that traditional, White-led institutions have portrayed it, but that it can be diverse, multifaceted, and involve daily practices of community and mutual aid. 

16 08, 2022

The Benefits of Berries

2025-02-21T18:21:20-05:00Tags: |

This article, written by Valerie Segrest, celebrates the timeless tradition of harvesting berries during the summer season, reflecting on its meditative qualities and the deep connection it fosters with nature. It highlights the historical significance of berry cultivation across cultures, emphasizing their nutritional value and medicinal properties. The article introduces various berries native to Turtle Island/North America, including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and elderberries. We are reintroduced to these everyday berries, understanding the details of culinary versatility and health benefits. Additionally, we are given a recipe for making summer berry fruit leather, encapsulating the essence of summer berry gathering. Overall, the passage emphasized the profound cultural, nutritional, and sensory importance of berries in human history. Berries and planting, gathering, cooking and eating are ways for us to connect to the seasons, nature, and each other.

4 08, 2022

In the Era of Climate Migration, What Will “Home” Mean?

2025-04-23T11:17:12-04:00Tags: |

The article titled "In the Era of Climate Migration, What Will 'Home' Mean?" by Madeline Ostrander explores the evolving concept of "home" in the context of climate change and environmental challenges. The author highlights the tension between viewing home as property for financial gain and understanding it as an emotional space deeply connected to identity and community. Ostrander discusses Bell Hooks' personal journey in finding a meaningful home and the idea of an "ethic of place." The article also delves into the history of NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard) and its implications for environmental activism. Ultimately, it argues that in an era of climate upheaval, the concept of home as a place of meaning and belonging may hold the key to resilience and community building.

25 07, 2022

How Reproductive Justice Is Climate Justice

2025-05-22T12:54:08-04:00Tags: |

The catastrophic impacts of climate change have been felt throughout the world as adverse weather conditions and natural disasters become more frequent phenomena. This state of climate emergency has imposed a new set of challenges on women’s reproductive rights. Climate conditions not only make access to abortions cumbersome but also increase the need for it. Several reasons account for this. Debasri Ghosh, the managing director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, pointed out that an increasing number of abortion clinics face closures due to extreme weather conditions in states like Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Drawing on research from Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath in Texas in 2017, Ophra Leyser-Whalen highlights how financial burdens have further exacerbated reproductive healthcare needs. Similarly, Dr. Samantha Montano, a self-described disasterologist and assistant professor of emergency management, observes that disaster shelters often expose women to increased gender-based violence and fail to provide vital healthcare and legal information. These conditions are not limited to the United States. Pansi Katenga, who works at Ipas, emphasizes that women across the globe, especially in Africa and Asia where Ipas operates, are increasingly being deprived of their reproductive rights. Therefore, realizing the intersection between climate justice and reproductive justice is vital. Lucy Hartman, the organizing director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, has been successful in uniting the movements against the repression of abortion rights and fighting for climate justice. She collaborated with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters in 2019 and the Virginia Reproductive Equity Alliance in 2022 to stand in solidarity, showing that reproductive justice is climate justice.

12 07, 2022

As peak hurricane season looms, banks bolster cozy relationship with fossil fuel industry

2025-02-21T17:10:12-05:00Tags: |

After continuously seeing her community impacted by climate disasters instigated by fossil fuel corporations, Roishetta Ozane speaks out about the hidden connections between big banks and fossil fuel extraction. She and Adele Shraiman discuss the relationship between the two and how it impacts local communities. The Louisiana-based activist has seen the Gulf Coast’s environment, ecosystems, and geography be decimated by hurricanes and flooding prompted by climate change and specifically fracked gas. The largest banks in the United States pour billions of dollars into fossil fuels every year. The impacts include environmental degradation and impacts on public health, such as the emissions of toxic pollutants that can cause asthma, respiratory and heart diseases, and cancer. The corporations work under the guise of sustainable development, but community members who have been left behind in the wake of the disasters have been protesting these efforts, emphasizing that this will lead to long-term impacts that will prevent the U.S. from meeting their climate goals and will continue to have grave consequences for local communities. Activists, such as Ozane, have been increasing pressure on banks and financial institutions to address their role in the climate crisis.

16 06, 2022

Queering the food system

2025-02-21T18:25:25-05:00Tags: |

Hannah Breckbill founded Humble Hands Harvest, a community farm project in Iowa which is seeking to reimagine food systems to be more inclusive, slow, and local. The farm is a queer-run, LGBTQIA+ friendly space that is using regenerative agriculture and slow growing farming practices to heal the Earth while also creating an inclusive, regenerative social space. Breckbill shares that she “found farming an extremely rewarding way of cultivating change. Agriculture can happen anywhere; people need to eat everywhere.” Projects like this highlight the intersectionality of agriculture, social justice, and environmental sustainability. Given the enhanced barriers for queer and Black people to navigate land access and farming, initiatives such as Humble Hands Harvest are important in the fight for both food sovereignty and supportive social connection. The redistribution of resources and shelter to those in marginalized communities is essential, as they are disproportionately affected by issues such as by homelessness and food insecurity. This is a responsibility that some queer farmers are incorporating into the way they run, build, and manage their farms as spaces that rejuvenate and foster more than the land.

9 06, 2022

Women in environmental leadership. Making progress? Or hitting more ceilings?

2025-03-31T00:19:36-04:00Tags: |

In California, Jennifer Fearing and Mary Nichols continue to make steady progress in environmental leadership, highlighting the importance of women's voices in shaping effective climate policies. While women's concerns about climate change are well-documented, their underrepresentation in leadership positions remains a significant challenge. The story emphasizes the need for greater gender equity in decision-making to address environmental priorities effectively and ensure a more just and sustainable future. Jennifer Fearing's advocacy work, along with other women leaders in environmental justice, underscores the resilience and determination of women in driving positive change. The text acknowledges the imperative for gender equity in leadership roles and recognizes the disproportionate impact of climate change on women. The narrative refrains from advocating greenwashing or consumption as climate solutions and does not endorse false or unsustainable techno-fixes, aligning with the pursuit of genuine and equitable climate action.

5 05, 2022

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

2025-02-14T13:05:27-05:00Tags: |

Rachel Holmes grew up in an urban area of northern New Jersey but found a passion for fighting wildfires while observing their devastation in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Now working on the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew, she travels all over the U.S. fighting wildland fires. Holmes belongs to the Type II Initial Attack crew and responds to the start of a wildfire. While setting up hoses and water pumps, her team often works for days in a fast-paced, high-stress environment living in tents. Wildland fires are becoming more frequent and severe as temperatures rise across the globe, making Holmes’ job even more challenging and important to preserving Earth’s natural landscapes. Within the industry, uniform changes and team camaraderie are shaping the future of wildland firefighting, changing it from a male-dominated industry to a more inclusive community. Although being a wildland firefighter can be mentally taxing, Holmes pursues her passion for flamenco dancing and music to relieve stress and embrace her personality through art, allowing her to sustain herself through this essential work.

2 05, 2022

The Umbilicus

2025-02-21T17:04:12-05:00Tags: |

Indigenous land defender Tara Houska reflects on the legacies of colonialism and the need to revitalize our experiences in being a part of nature. Houska has been defending the land against the Line 3 pipeline for years, joining the Indigenous and frontline communities who have been carrying out nonviolent protection measures against the construction of the pipeline. Colonialism and its compounding impacts have led to environmental degradation and the separation of Indigenous communities from their culture and connection to their environment. The loss of land rights, language, community, autonomy, and traditional knowledge are detaching the umbilical connections that were once present between humans and the environment. However, leaders such as Houska and other Indigenous women, two-spirit, and others are restrengthening this bond through land protection and rediscovering lost connections for new generations.

9 03, 2022

‘Respect Science’: Mona Hanna-Attisha Shares Climate Lessons From Flint

2025-05-22T13:01:32-04:00Tags: |

Tragedy hit the predominantly Black city of Flint, Michigan when the water crisis erupted, exposing over 100,000 residents and children to lead. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and professor at Michigan State University’s Hurley Children’s Hospital, brought the issue to light after observing a rise in blood lead levels among her young patients. Despite government efforts to hamper her credibility, she fought to decontaminate the city’s water supply. As a result of her diligent efforts, the city has not only complied with EPA criteria for over three years but has also taken active steps to replace lead pipes. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which implores the replacement of lead pipes across the country, stands as a testament to how Flint has become a model city for demanding safe and clean water practices. Hanna-Attisha has also equipped the future generation to fight and withstand the climate crisis by creating the Flint Youth Justice League, highlighting the numerous parallels between the Flint water crisis and climate change. Governments have consistently failed to address such issues and adhere to scientific evidence. Consequently, they fail to invest in overcoming crises, leading to reactive measures in times of need rather than preventive steps that could have saved the lives of disproportionately affected communities. Despite the dire conditions the city had to undergo, Hanna-Attisha emphasizes their resilience and how their story offers hope in combating future obstacles.

17 01, 2022

Dolores Huerta: Workers Must Unite to Take On Climate

2025-04-18T11:13:24-04:00Tags: |

Legendary labor rights activist Dolores Huerta emphasizes the vital alliance between labor and climate movements to confront the escalating global climate crisis. Reflecting on pandemic-induced economic disparities, Huerta highlights the paradox of essential workers facing increased vulnerability despite economic prosperity. As co-founder of the United Farm Workers and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she extends her advocacy from workers' rights to climate justice. Huerta asserts that the labor movement's strength is crucial for addressing climate challenges, advocating for a transition to green energy roles and emphasizing the need for a living wage and support for workers during this shift. She urges relentless political activism to enact policies supporting both climate action and labor rights, emphasizing the role of strong labor unions in fostering a functioning democracy. Huerta's call for solidarity in labor organizing underscores the power of collective action in driving societal change, with a clear message: the future of the planet and democracy depends on the unity and activism of working people.

30 12, 2021

Feminist Wishes for 2022: “We Were Never Meant To Do This Work Alone”

2025-03-30T23:52:01-04:00Tags: |

Ms. Magazine's "Feminist Wishes for 2022" article delves into the insights of influential feminists, highlighting key priorities and anticipated transformations in the upcoming year. Notably, there is a collective call to recognize women’s pivotal role in addressing the challenges of climate change and the extinction crisis. The activists stress the importance of bolstering reproductive healthcare, encompassing universal access to contraception and abortion services. This approach not only contributes to curbing population growth and alleviating environmental strains but also grants women and girls agency over their life choices. Amid the climate crisis, this gains significance as women bear a disproportionate impact and often champion progressive environmental policies. Ultimately, uplifting women stands as an essential element in forging an equitable and sustainable future.

2 12, 2021

What It’s Like When a Climate Disaster Permanently Alters Your Life

2025-03-27T14:35:58-04:00Tags: |

Climate disasters quickly leave the news cycles after the immediate threat is gone, but the story doesn’t stop there. While national attention might leave the affected areas, citizens must deal with ongoing emotional, physical, and financial issues—usually without government and corporate assistance. Amdynn Isbrid (he/she/they) from Portland, Oregon, lived through the West Coast fires in September 2020. Despite working outside with the Air Quality Index (AQI) measuring up to 477 micrograms per cubic millimeter, neither Isbrid nor their coworkers received any PPE. In the wake of the fires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied 70% of claims from Oregon residents and 86% of claims by Californians. The automated, complex FEMA application process, designed to protect against fraudulent claims, prevented people from accessing needed aid. Gina (she/her) from Chico, California, lost everything in the Camp Fire that tore through Northern California in November 2018. Eighty-six people in Paradise, California perished. While Gina was a homeowner and received an insurance settlement, renters or those without insurance coverage were not so lucky. Macy Callais (she/her) is from Lockport, Louisiana. Hurricane Ida destroyed her home. Initially, Callais thought she would be eligible for FEMA assistance, but FEMA denied her claim because she was a renter. Orville Black (any pronouns), from River Falls, Wisconsin, experienced intense rainstorms on their family farm. Water washed away car-sized hay bales and pigs, and waterlogged tractors and farm equipment. Because the farm is in a flood zone, Black and their family constantly worry about the possibility of another extreme weather event. Gabriela Ramos-Tavárez (she/her) is from Atlanta, GA. Ramos-Tavárez’s room flooded through her closed window because of Hurricane Maria’s intense winds. The heat and humidity in Ramos-Tavárez’s caused mold to grow over her entire bedroom. Despite Ramos-Tavárez’s father’s preparedness, they lack enough batteries, cash, food, and gasoline. The indifference from the national government cost Puerto Rico greatly. The local government mismanaged any funds it did receive.

29 10, 2021

Hearing the Language of Trees

2025-04-19T17:15:27-04:00Tags: |

"Hearing the Language of Trees," explores the intelligence of plants and the author's connection with them. The author, Robin Wall Kimmerer, discusses Indigenous reverence for trees. She focuses particularly on White Pines, noting how they are seen as unique and sovereign beings in various Indigenous cultures. Kimmerer highlights the wisdom and longevity symbolized by White Pines and their role as elders in the natural world. She emphasizes that traditional cultures recognize intelligence in all living beings, not just humans, and how trees communicate and tell their stories through their bodies and growth patterns. Kimmerer challenges the human-centric view of intelligence and explores the concept of adaptively flexible behavior in plants, suggesting that their unique sensory and response systems deserve further exploration and understanding. The article ultimately encourages readers to reconnect with nature and appreciate the wisdom that trees and other beings offer to the world.

16 09, 2021

Defending Wild Rice

2026-05-27T22:40:53-04:00Tags: |

Native wild rice on the lakes of northern Minnesota––known as manoomin, “the good berry,” in the Anishinaabe language––was granted legal status by the White Earth Band of Ojibwe in 2018, largely due to the grain’s sacred cultural lifeway for the Anishinaabe people. Alexandria Herr, an award-winning print and audio journalist reporting on climate change and environmental justice, shares the story of the lawsuit filed by White Earth Nation in protest of Enbridge Inc.’s “Line 3” pipeline, the first Rights of Nature case to enter Tribal court in the United States. The pipeline’s construction and purpose threatened an oil spill that would have had disastrous effects on delicate ecosystems and waterways of manoomin which requires abundant, clean water to grow. In June 2021, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued Enbridge Inc. a “dewatering” permit for five billion gallons of water that allowed the company to temporarily pump groundwater out of the construction path of the pipeline, store the removed water, and eventually discharge it back into the ground. They stated the permit would have little impact on natural resources in the area, however, representatives of the White Earth Nation highlighted its detrimental impact on the 2021 wild rice crop. This led to a lawsuit filed in White Earth tribal court against the Minnesota DNR, with manoomin as the defendant. Although this case has ultimately been dismissed, White Earth Nation will continue to use their sovereignty to protect their land, manoomin, and people––as is their right.

7 09, 2021

Raising Climate Change Awareness: Spotlight on Researcher and Advocate Nicole Hernandez Hammer

2025-04-23T11:54:52-04:00Tags: |

Nicole Hernandez Hammer is a climate change expert and advocate focusing on climate change’s disproportionate impact on communities of color. Her advocacy stems from realizing the vulnerability of these communities to pollution and climate change. Transitioning from academia to advocacy, she educates and uplifts disadvantaged groups in South Florida. Her expertise in sea level rise research has gained national attention, leading to high-profile appearances and invitations. She actively engages with local leaders to ensure these communities have a voice in policies, emphasizing the importance of personal platforms and voting to drive change towards a fair and renewable economy.

1 05, 2021

Fannie Lou Hamer Inspired Me To Learn More About Food Justice

2025-04-18T21:02:35-04:00Tags: |

Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist born to sharecroppers in 1917 who grew up working on cotton fields, witnessed firsthand the intersection of race, class, and food justice. After fighting for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Hamer shifted her focus to land ownership and food justice and founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative (FFC) in the Mississippi Delta. The FFC provided Black residents the chance to cultivate crops and earn an income. Hamer started a "pig bank" to keep families fed, expanded land ownership, built affordable housing, and created scholarships and jobs for her community. Despite the FFC closing down after her death, Hamer continues to inspire many—including the author of the article, Brooklyn White—to grow food and develop a relationship with what they eat. Today, food injustice persists in places like Dallas, Texas—Brooklyn’s home—where nearly half a million residents live in food deserts. In these areas, fast food outlets dominate, while access to fresh, healthy food remains limited. The racial dynamics are clear: over 51% of Dallas' population are people of color and systemic racism continues to impact where and how these communities live and eat.

27 01, 2021

Sunrise Movement’s Varshini Prakash: Biden’s Climate Agenda Must Go Beyond Undoing Trump’s Damage

2025-02-21T16:59:53-05:00Tags: |

Varshini Prakash, co-founder and executive director of the Sunrise Movement, spoke with Amy Goodman on Biden’s climate action as of 2021 and what steps she believes the Biden-Harris Administration should take going forward to address the climate crisis. She appreciates the steps Biden had already taken, such as re-entering the Paris Climate Agreement and canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, among other initiatives. However, Prakash emphasizes that these actions must continue, and that economic and climate justice must be centered in the conversation. At this stage of the crisis, with much of the immediate damage disproportionately affecting historically underserved communities, it is not enough to make up for the damage of previous administrations. We cannot afford to sit back now that we have a leader who is pushing for climate initiatives―we must continue to push for the future we want to see. A standout point was that Biden should keep his efforts going and stop the Dakota Access pipeline and Line 3, both sites of endured Indigenous resistance. Climate justice initiatives and sustainable economic development must be coupled going forward. Prakash believes that various movements coming together under the climate justice umbrella can help build support and pressure, and lead to unified change.

15 12, 2020

Focus on Housing and Jobs or the Climate Fight ‘Goes Nowhere’

2023-11-28T21:50:46-05:00Tags: , |

Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of Uprose, has been leading a movement to stop new developments in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood that would displace local communities. She has presented an alternative project that would give back to the community and help meet climate goals. Yeampierre has proposed that instead of the waterfront being bought and rebuilt by private developers, which would result in gentrification and the displacement of many BIPOC communities in the neighborhood, that a bustling green industry hub be built. This would support the shift to renewable energy through development of wind turbines, solar panels, and low-carbon technology, while providing fair salaries for neighborhood residents and also benefit immigrants and undocumented individuals without much formal education. These developments would sustain and develop communities that are at increased risk from the climate crisis. Photo credit: Pete Voelker

12 11, 2020

​​An Energy Leader Wins an Election

2025-03-24T23:10:47-04:00Tags: |

DeAndrea Salvador, former executive director of the Renewable Energy Transition Initiative (RETI)—a nonprofit dedicated to making energy affordable and efficient in North Carolina—won a race to become a North Carolina senator. Salvador founded RETI at age 23, educating Charlotte, North Carolina, residents about energy efficiency and conservation while also advancing community solar initiatives in South Carolina. Equity is the cornerstone of her work. In 2015, North Carolina had half a million households spending 20% or more of their monthly income on energy bills. Salvador believes that energy systems cannot be equitable if only some people have access to clean energy sources, nor are they equitable if people must make difficult choices to afford their monthly energy bills. In 2018, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 40% of 2005 levels by 2025. Salvador’s work in the State Senate is crucial in ensuring that this effort prioritizes the needs of communities of color and low-income individuals.

24 09, 2020

Quannah Chasinghorse is fighting to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

2025-07-09T23:30:44-04:00Tags: , |

In March 2020, PhD candidate and climate justice organizer Maia Wikler traveled to Alaska to meet with Quannah Chasinghorse to report on the human rights and climate crises in the Arctic. Chasinghorse is a Han Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota youth advocate fighting alongside her mother and fellow women in her community to protect their homelands from oil drilling. Long before the designation as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an ecologically diverse swath of 20 million acres, this area has been a sacred calving ground for the porcupine caribou herd. It has been home to Indigenous communities for millennia, and their identity and wellbeing are inextricably linked to the wellbeing of the land. Exacerbated by melting permafrost and increased wildfires from climate change, the Arctic is one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the world, and previous drilling operations have shown that it cannot withstand the impacts of fossil fuel development. Boldly resisting this, Chasinghorse travels across the country with fellow Gwich’in youth and women to advocate for fossil fuel divestment and a halt to all proposed development. Sharing their story has already prompted five major banks to cease backing future Arctic drilling operations. This intergenerational movement to defend the refuge from the extractive industries and ongoing colonialism causing the biodiversity and climate crises is deeply intersectional. It is strongly connected to their advocacy for Indigenous rights and justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women. Chasinghorse shows us that the power of today’s youth is a driving force for change and reason for hope. This is a collective effort to fight for the protection of the Arctic, the wellbeing of Indigenous communities, and the prosperity of future generations.

22 06, 2020

Heat and Racism Threaten Birth Outcomes for Women of Color

2025-03-27T14:44:07-04:00Tags: |

Climate change-induced heat disproportionately affects pregnant women. Those who work outside, can’t access air conditioning, or who are Black or Hispanic are at greater risk of harm as these women tend to face long and unmitigated exposure to intense temperatures. In communities of color, heat drives high rates of premature deliveries and stillbirths. Black women are three to four times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication than White women. Indigenous women are twice as likely to die than White women. Racism, rather than race, is the risk factor in pregnancy complications. Coupled with climate change-induced heat, the risk of chronic disease, obesity, maternal mortality, and low birth rates increases. In California, for every 10-degree temperature increase, preterm deliveries increased by 8.6%, with a higher rate in communities of color. Pregnant women who are unable to avoid the heat may face severe cases of dehydration. Public health and environmental justice initiatives must understand these risk factors to protect communities.

5 10, 2019

Why Aren’t Fossil Fuel Companies Held Accountable for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women?

2025-02-21T17:06:14-05:00Tags: |

[Content warning: sexual violence] The struggle over the Keystone XL pipeline sparked concerns about the future for Indigenous women in construction zones. The epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is a result of the multifaceted crises of extraction, climate impacts, and colonization that disproportionately affect Indigenous women. Sexual violence and murder rates are high among indigenous women, and there are direct ties to extraction movements. Angeline Cheek, a community advocate on the Fort Peck Reservation, finds large company-owned housing for oil workers to live temporarily to be a driving force. Tribal police, activists, and the Canadian government have found direct connections of increased sexual violence rates and the extractive sites. Tribal communities are already limited in what they can prosecute and how they can legally respond to crimes and local authorities are often underfunded, making it extremely difficult to obtain proper aid or justice. A suggestion is to hold companies themselves accountable for the violence of the individuals that cannot be brought to justice. The idea is that the company is responsible for public safety and their workers. Cheek and other Indigenous community leaders are working hard to ensure that Indigenous women are not left behind and that justice is brought to them.

3 10, 2019

Safeguarding Our Seas: Rachael Miller’s Mission to Combat Microfiber Pollution

2025-04-09T23:10:00-04:00Tags: |

Rachael Z. Miller, driven by a fervent commitment to environmental stewardship, has set her sights on combating microfiber pollution with her startup, Cora Ball. With a mission to safeguard our oceans, Miller's invention intercepts microscopic pollutants before they contaminate waterways, offering a tangible solution to a global crisis. Her dedication to this cause stems from years of advocacy through her nonprofit, the Rozalia Project, which champions clean water initiatives. Since its launch in 2017, Cora Ball has garnered widespread acclaim, catching the attention of consumers and researchers alike. A paper published by researchers at the University of Toronto says the Cora Ball catches 26 percent of the microfibers per load, on average. It achieves this function when introduced into a laundry cycle, capturing loose particles shed from clothing, sheets, towels, and other washable items—mimicking the way coral traps trace amounts of food, which serves as the inspiration behind its name. Through relentless innovation and grassroots support, Miller aims to deepen our understanding of microfiber pollution and inspire more women to join the fight against climate change. As she leads the charge, Miller underscores the importance of diversity in tackling environmental challenges, emphasizing that innovation knows no bounds of gender or background.

23 05, 2019

How Black Farmers Are Trying To End Centuries Of Racism In America’s Food System

2023-11-08T12:36:18-05:00Tags: , |

Kiesha Cameron is part of a movement of Black farmers pushing for reparations and equal opportunity in agriculture. America’s wealth and power is due to the hard work of exploited enslaved people. Their work in tobacco and cotton fields in today’s terms would have been a multi-billion dollar industry. Now, systemic racism has pushed Black farmers to the margins of these practices through violence, lack of legal support, prejudice, and poverty—in turn, barring them from opportunities to create sustainable, wealth-building communities. Savi Horne, the director of the Land Loss Prevention Project, emphasizes the need for land rights to be central in reparations. This is a complicated process and there is much more work that needs to be done on governmental levels. Cameron, Horne, and many others are working to reclaim farming for Black communities. They are taking back power and control to combat centuries of exploitation and racism, instead replacing it with autonomy and healing. Photo credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon/HuffPost

3 07, 2018

Dara Cooper Is Reclaiming Black Foodways

2025-04-18T20:40:48-04:00Tags: |

Dara Cooper, co-founder of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, is focused on advancing food sovereignty, land justice, and racial equity in the food system. She challenges White-dominated power structures by redefining problems and creating community-based solutions. Cooper advocates for the end of “food apartheid,” usually discussed as “food deserts,” to highlight systemic violence against Black communities in food access. Her work addresses the historical and ongoing injustices that separate Black people from land and she promotes cooperative approaches such as land trusts and co-op grocery stores to reclaim agency. Cooper critiques capitalist food systems which prioritize profit over health and sustainability and calls for a reimagined food system that moves away from extraction, working instead towards a more community-centered and sustainable system.

18 06, 2018

The grazing expert helping farmers build resilient ecosystems

2025-02-21T18:30:06-05:00Tags: |

Sarah Flack, a Vermont-based livestock grazing consultant, has spent over two decades teaching farmers how to employ intentional grazing practices to improve their land's health. Her childhood experiences in Kenya and New Zealand, coupled with her upbringing in an ecologically conscious family, has inspired philosophies of interconnectedness of all beings. Despite initial skepticism, Flack's approach to grass-based livestock farming has gained traction, especially as consumer demand for grass-fed meat has surged. Her work focuses on principles of dividing pastures into paddocks, rotating animals through them, and allowing for adequate recovery time. These practices, which reduce fertilizers and feed, enhance soil health, pasture quality, and animal welfare. Flack shares her expertise through workshops, writing, and speaking engagements. She embodies her principles by living off-the-grid on her property in Vermont, inspiring others with the transformative potential of intentional grazing management.

7 05, 2018

I am the Daughter of a Conventional Farmer—and a Sustainable Ag Advocate

2025-04-18T20:44:40-04:00Tags: |

Ash Bruxvoort, the daughter of a conventional farmer, uses her unique experiences within the urban-rural divide to advocate for change in the agricultural system. Having witnessed both the joys and struggles of farming as her family navigated volatile agricultural markets, she pursued a career in agricultural nonprofits to better understand and transform the food system. Initially drawn to urban food movement ideals like organic farming, Bruxvoort soon realized these "better" methods weren’t always financially viable for farmers like her father. This deepened her appreciation for the challenges farmers face within a profit-driven system. She believes that farmer’s daughters, with their firsthand experience of both urban and rural parts of society, are uniquely positioned to foster change. Women like Wendy Johnson and Lauren Rudersdorf are already working to redefine farming practices, promote sustainability, and bridge the urban-rural divide. Bruxvoort stresses the importance of empathy, compassion, and open dialogue to overcome stereotypes and misunderstandings. By listening to her father’s experiences, she has developed a deeper, more humanized understanding of the struggles farmers face, fostering mutual respect and a call to bridge the divide through meaningful conversations and see beyond the labels.

19 04, 2018

Joanna Macy, Kailea Sonrisa & Morgan Curtis on Keeping Sane & Active Amid Mass Psychosis

2025-04-19T14:01:04-04:00Tags: |

This episode of the 'Sisters Bonded for Action’ webinar series is a roundtable discussion on approaches to healing, activism and ecology. Hosted by Ayana Young and produced by For the Wild and Spirit Weavers Gathering, this segment gave activists Joanna Macy, Kailea Sonrisa, and Morgan Curtis the space to discuss “keeping sane and active amid mass psychosis.” The women discussed allyship, friendship, and solidarity with both human and non-humans, as well as the loneliness and isolation inherent in late stage capitalist societies which prioritize capital over community. They ask us to consider who is speaking for nature in a human world; who is the voice of nature in the boardrooms and cabinet meetings. Dr. Joanna Macy is a scholar of deep ecology, Buddhism, justice, and deep time. Kailea Sonrisa discussed shifting from framing climate change from a fear-based perspective to one that is grounded and even joyful, stating that if people become more invested in the places they live, they will build community, friendship, and care. Morgan Curtis discusses how we are from the earth, and return to the earth and our responsibility while we’re here is to steward. We have the most power where we are, so it is vital to fight for and from community and form locally grounded webs of solidarity. 

20 03, 2018

Katharine Hayhoe Reveals Surprising Ways to Talk About Climate Change

2025-04-23T11:22:15-04:00Tags: |

Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist and evangelical Christian, navigates the overlap of science and faith regarding climate change. She emphasizes connecting through shared values rather than overwhelming skeptics with facts. Hayhoe reframes climate action as aligning with existing values like prosperity, security, and community resilience, aiming for relatable solutions and upliftment. She believes American skepticism stems from a sense of independence conflicting with perceived government intrusion. To bridge divides, she starts conversations with common ground, respecting differing views before discussing solutions. By highlighting climate change as a universal human issue, she seeks to unite diverse communities and transcend political divides.

26 01, 2018

‘Eat Less Meat’ Ignores the Role of Animals in the Ecosystem

2025-04-18T20:49:20-04:00Tags: |

Arielle Greenwood is a land manager for Freestone Ranch, a restoration-focused grass-fed beef operation in the United States. She argues that pushing to eat less meat to help the environment oversimplifies issues within the agriculture livestock sector. Additionally, it overlooks the reality of many farmers who rely on selling meat from their livestock in order to support themselves. Instead of applying a blanket-solution to a complex problem, Greenwood calls for more curiosity and nuance in the discussion of meat consumption. While industrial meat production is harmful, livestock can contribute to soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration when raised using sustainable practices. Greenwood’s knowledgeable approach to farming results in restoration of grazing land that has been mismanaged for decades. Instead of simply reducing meat consumption, Greenwood advocates for rethinking meat production and supporting farming systems that integrate animals in ways that restore and enhance the environment.

10 01, 2018

Why you should listen to ‘racist sandwich’ podcast series

2024-09-13T16:12:23-04:00Tags: , |

Soleil Ho and Zahir Janmohamed launched the podcast "Racist Sandwich" to tackle race, class, and gender issues in the food industry. Through interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, and cultural critics, they dissect topics such as the impact of food photography on racial stereotypes, workplace harassment in kitchens, and the issues surrounding "wellness culture." Their platform aims to amplify diverse voices and challenge the predominantly white narrative in food media. Ho's experiences working in restaurants have shaped her perspective on discrimination and abuse, leading her to advocate for marginalized individuals in the industry. She emphasizes the need for diversity and structural changes in restaurant ownership and food media to address systemic issues of inequality and exploitation.

21 10, 2017

An evangelical Christian took her climate change message to the heart of conservative Iowa. Here’s how she was greeted

2025-04-23T11:10:01-04:00Tags: |

Lindsay Mouw, a Christian conservative from Sioux County, Iowa, initially paid little attention to climate change but underwent a transformation after studying it during a college trip. She now devotes her life to combating climate change and believes it aligns with her Christian faith's call to protect God's creation. Mouw faced challenges advocating for climate change awareness in a predominantly Republican and evangelical community but has worked tirelessly to inspire change through small steps such as recycling and reducing plastic consumption. She aims to appeal to people's hearts and faith, emphasizing the moral aspect of caring for the Earth and one's neighbors.

20 10, 2017

TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS on Sacred Rage and the Battle for Public Lands /54

2025-04-23T11:31:40-04:00Tags: |

This conversation delves into a renewed perspective on our relationship with the land, emphasizing sacred outrage and the preservation of public spaces. Terry Tempest Williams, a prominent writer, guides us in exploring imaginative acts that shift our consciousness and expand our definition of family to encompass both humans and the wilderness. As Americans, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment where we must embrace a profound shift toward mindful reverence, active respect, and deliberate rejuvenation of our remaining open public lands. Terry Tempest Williams, known for her advocacy of ethical living, is a naturalist whose writing draws inspiration from the vast Western landscape. In her latest book, "The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks," she navigates wilderness trails through the lens of memory and family, examining gender and community within the context of the landscape. Her work reminds us that environmental issues are inherently social and, ultimately, matters of justice.

12 07, 2017

Malia Hulleman and Heather Milton Lightening on Direct Action from the Grassroots

2025-03-06T17:13:28-05:00Tags: |

In this video produced by For the Wild and Spirit Weavers Gathering, Malia Hulleman and Heather Milton-Lightening discuss and share experiences and advice from their direct action activism in the grassroots Indigenous and environmental movements. Hulleman is an environmental activist and Hawai’i native who dedicated her life to protecting Indigenous rights and the environment. She stood with the Standing Rock Sioux against the Dakota Access Pipeline in the face of human rights violations. In Hawai’i, she organizes against the construction of a telescope on sacred land and advocates for the preservation of the Hawaiian language and culture. Malia's experiences at Standing Rock inform her work on sustainable energy and experiences of climate justice. Similarly, Heather Milton-Lightening has years of organizing experience. She is a founding member of the Native Youth Movement which works across the US and Canada together with the Indigenous Environmental Network. From leading youth organizations to lobbying at the United Nations, Heather's work aims to support Native communities through socio-political activism and environmental protection.

15 02, 2017

Daughters of the Drum: Decolonizing health and wellness with Native American women

2025-04-23T11:20:06-04:00Tags: |

The article presents a study examining how Native American women's roles in health and wellness have changed from pre-colonial times to now, focusing on the Pacific Northwest. It involves a small group of Native American women discussing their experiences through activities like photovoice and talking circles. Their insights highlight key aspects of resilience linked to health perceptions, emphasizing the significance of land, language, and diet in shaping a decolonized view of wellness.

11 10, 2016

Sharing Our Stories: Women for Climate Justice

2025-04-24T16:56:36-04:00Tags: |

This conversation between climate leaders was hosted by Sojourners, a platform dedicated to uplifting women leaders. This webinar centers around the unique role that the faith communities can and must play in engaging people to work toward climate justice. The panel includes Alaura Carter, Climate Justice Associate at Sojourners, Keya Chatterjee, Executive Director of the U.S. Climate Action Network, and Shantha Ready Alonso, Executive Director of Climate Justice Ministries. They discuss the importance of storytelling, community building and supporting under-resourced communities and communities of color, which are often those hit first and hardest by climate change. Santha shares that “We do have to talk about the environment…but we also have to focus on the people that are taking care of the environment,” highlighting those who are living on the front lines of climate anomalies and the importance of educating them about their rights. The panel discusses how many churches are already on the front lines of responding to climate injustice. They are already mobilized around hunger, disaster response, water protection, and poverty, hence such community leaders have a critical role to educate and respond to climate change at the local level. Compassion, problem solving, and creativity are cornerstones we need to build resilience, capacity, and community.

24 04, 2013

Becoming a Habitat: Motherhood, Faith and the Environmental Human Rights Movement

2025-04-24T17:09:14-04:00Tags: |

The Bioneers is a podcast series that platforms and celebrates scientific and social solutions to restore people and the planet. This episode is about the work, research, and activism of Sandra Steingraber in the fight against pervasive pesticide use and chemical dependency. Steingraber is an American biologist, ecologist, poet, mother, author, and activist. She is also a survivor of bladder cancer, a diagnosis she received as a 20 year old college student. She advocates for the adoption of a rights-based environmental justice framework in order to fight against both toxicity and injustice. She describes the idea of ‘chemical trespass,’ the concept that in modern chemical-filled American society, people are not safe from chemicals at home, work, or even within their own bodies. She emphasizes how the link between carcinogens and the environment is still largely missing from the conversation around cancer and medical health care. Bladder cancer is a quintessential ‘environmental cancer.’ Steingraber grew up in a region with statistically elevated cancer risk due to the industrial pollution lining the Illinois river. Such toxins and carcinogens bioaccumulate, building up in our bodies over time and leading to health complications. Federal laws are falling behind chemical science, with chemical compounds still found in common plastics linked to cancer, obesity, hyperactivity, heart disease, and infertility—and disproportionately harming communities of color and low-income communities. This episode shows how this public issue with personal consequences has motivated Steingraber to use biology and activism to fight for legislative reform and better chemical management systems.

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