- 1. Joint Public Advisory CommitteeCommission for Environmental
CooperationResilient Communities in North AmericaJuly 10,
2012Justice and EquityIn the Face of Climate Change Beverly H.
Wright, Ph.D. Executive DirectorDeep South Center for Environmental
Justice New Orleans, LA
2. Climate Change is Real There is now overwhelming scientific
evidence that climate change
ishttp://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/images/... real and that it
poses a serious global threat that cannot be ignored. 3. Global
Warming The International Panel on Climate Change Plenary XXVII
predicts further warming of the climate system which can induce
change in the globalImage Source: Global Warming Art climate in
this century far greater than what has been observed in previous
centuries. 4. Increase in Impacts Increased flooding Higher mean
atmospherictemperaturesWe can expect theimpacts of climate Higher
global mean sea levelschange to continueeven with the current
Increased precipitationclimate changemitigation policies. Increased
droughts Increased atmospheric moisture-holding capacity Increased
heat waves Increased strength of storms 5. And the List Goes On
More energetic waves Storm surges that reach further inland
Under-capacity of urban sewerage anddrainage systems Increased
blight Increased vulnerability of port cities Disproportionate
impacts ondisadvantaged population segments 6. 2010 Statistics The
2010 Atlantic hurricane seasonwas the third most active season
onrecord, tying with: 1887 Atlantic hurricane season, 1995 Atlantic
hurricane season 2011 Atlantic hurricane season It had the most
number of namedstorms since the 2005 season and also In 2010 14 to
23ties with the:named storms are 1969 Atlantic hurricane
seasonprojected, with 3 for the second largest number
ofhurricanes.to 7 major stormspredicted. 7. Earthquake in HaitiA
massive earthquake struckHaiti on Jan. 12 , 2010 killingmore than
200,000 people andleveling 38% of the capital ofPort-au-Prince. The
magnitude7.0 quake , the most powerfulto hit Haiti in a century,
was feltstrongly in eastern Cuba, morethan 200 miles
away.http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-12/world/haiti.earthquake_1_earthquake-haiti-2010-peacekeeping-mission-president-rene-preval-haiti?_s=PM:WORLDhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2010/02/27/chile-earthquake.html
8. Earthquake in ChileOn February 27, 2010 a powerful 8.8-magnitude
earthquake one of the largestever recorded, tore apart houses,
bridgesand highways in central Chile and sent atsunami racing
halfway around the
world.http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2010/02/27/chile-earthquake.html
9. Flooding in FranceOn June 16, 2010, an Atlanticstorm that killed
at least 47 peopleon the western coast of France wasdeclared a
national disaster.According to Meteo France, thenational
forecaster, the region hadnot seen such floods since 1827.The storm
also hit the western coasts of Portugal and Spain, then
movedtowards Germany,Belgium and theNetherlands.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7833492/Deadly-flash-floods-hit-southern-France.html
10. 2011 Statistics The 2011 Atlantic hurricane seasonproduced a
total of 19 tropical storms 7 became hurricanes, Close to the
average of 6 4 of which were major hurricanes Above the average of
2 This level of activity matched NOAAs predictions and continues
the trend of active hurricane seasons that began in 1995. The 19
tropical storms represent the third- highest total (tied with 1887,
1995, and 2010) since records began in 1851 Above the average of 11
11. Managing Weather Impacts Societies have always had to manage
the impacts of weather and climate related events. 12. A Question
of Equity Disadvantaged populations aroundthe world already bear
inequitableenvironmental burdens There is inadequate knowledge
ofwhat new disproportionate impactswill emerge under climate change
13. The Differential Effects of Weather Disasters The differential
effects of catastrophic weather disasters are consistent with a
pervasive continuum in which low-income and minority communities
suffer from both higher socio-economic stress and greater
environmental exposure to toxins, hazardous wastes and other
environmental burdens. Such was the case in New Orleans after
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 14. GIS Analysis: Use of Recovery
Dollarsfor Rebuilding Projects with Implications for Race and Class
Preliminary analysis of estimatedrecovery and rebuilding project
costsfor each of New Orleans 13 PlanningDistricts Based on
information provided in theUnified New Orleans Plan:
CitywideStrategic Recovery and RebuildingPlan Substantially greater
allocationestimated for Planning Districts 1 and2, than for the
other Planning Districts 15. ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS BY PLANNING
DISTRICTS$200,000,000$150,000,000$100,000,000 $50,000,000 $0 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 16. Resource Allocations by District $2,000
$1,500Proposed andactual$1,247resource$1,136allocations $1,000per
district(in $millions)for whitemajority andAfrican
$500Americanmajority $208 $204planningdistricts $0 Proposed
Allocated WhiteAfrican American Note: There are four (1, 5, 11, and
13) white-majority planningdistricts whereas there are eight
(2,4,6,7,8,9,10,and 12) African American-majority planning
districts. 17. Difficult Policy Changes Ahead The United Nations
warns that inequitable distribution of the cost of climate change
and the benefits of a green transition will be the most difficult
policy change. 18. Green What Does It Mean? As a planet, we are in
a stalemate Green vs. Just Development Green Denoting: Alternative
energy sources Sustainable buildings Resource efficiency does not
necessarily mean Just. 19. Transition to a Greener Economy Needed
Climate change discourse recommendstransitioning to a greener
economy: clean energy, hybrid cars, energy efficient buildings,
green jobsas a solution to the dual realities of climatechange and
economic stagnation. 20. The Transition Has Already Begun In 2010,
more than $211 billion was invested in renewable energies More than
was invested in fossil fuels More solar was installed, up 130% from
2009 Photovoltaic (PV) installations are expected to rise taking
global capacity to 50GW, the equivalent of nearly 15 nuclear
reactors. Achim Steiner, Toward a Green Economy, The Mercury
November 28, 2011 21. Reducing Greenhouse Gases Currently, there
are 60 regional and localgovernments taking significant action
inreducing greenhouse gases For example Quebec, Canada Sao Paulo,
Brazilare attempting cuts of20% below 1990 levelsby the year 2020.
Achim Steiner, Toward a Green Economy, The Mercury November 28,
2011 22. Renewable Energy:A Job Creator The transition to renewable
energywill create green economy jobs: There are 1.3 billion
unemployed and underemployed people
worldwidehttp://greenbydesignhawaii.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/state-ends-year-optimistic-about-green-job-growth/
billion young people will join the workforce over the next
decade.Achim Steiner, Toward a Green Economy, The Mercury November
28, 2011 23. For Example Employment from renewable energy jobs in
Germany is predicted to rise to between 500 and 600 thousand jobs
Chinas renewable energy job target for 2020 is to create 800
thousand in the field of solar energy alone. 24. One Solution: Job
Creation Utilizing the transition to a green economyfor job
training and placement in minorityand poor communities to minimize
theimpacts of climate change and level theplaying field for
opportunities is one wayto ensure that the transition is equitable.
25. The DSCEJ Minority Worker Training ProgramFt. Lauderdale,
Florida Detroit , MIBaton Rouge, Louisiana Training SiteWest Dallas
and Houston, TexasHattiesburg, MississippiNew Orleans, LATraining
Site Houston, TX Savannah, GA Training SiteTraining Site 26. DSCEJ
Minority Worker Training DillardUniversity New Orleans,
LAPartnershipsSouthernUniversity Baton Rouge,
LATexasSouthernUniversity Houston, TX XavierUniversity New Orleans,
LAOver the past 17 years, the DSCEJ has effectedpartnerships with
HBCUsin the region to implementClark AtlantaUniversity Atlanta,
GAits Worker TrainingPrograms 27. In Conclusion The worldwide
transition to a low carbon resource efficient green economy must be
the goal of humanity for sustainability. We must however, ensure
that with progress toward a green economy, a major priority of the
transition are the previously Forgotten Communities to which we
strive to bring equity. 28. A Must Readfrom Westview Press 29. Deep
South Centerfor Environmental JusticeDillard University
[email protected] www.dscej.org504-816-4005