 Hi everyone, Natalia here. Welcome to a special mini episode of Conservators Combating Climate Change. In light of all that has transpired in these past few weeks and then I thought it was important to take a time and directly address how and why social equity is critical to the conversation of climate justice and creating a more sustainable future. This has come up in all of our conversations with guest speakers so far but we see the heightened awareness of the critically important Black Lives Matter movement as an opportunity to discuss what we have learned about why climate justice is social justice. I'm not an expert but I'm going to try and tackle this truly complex topic and I'll do that in three main categories. First, why these topics must be integrated. Then I'll give some examples that will demonstrate how systemic racism is causing a disproportionate harm to marginalized communities both directly from the change in climate and in our nation's response to disasters. I'll end on a relatively high note and focus on one pathway moving forward in our communities and within institutions. The honest truth is that nothing will change unless we take strategic action. Okay so why must these topics be integrated? If you follow US politics you know that many elected officials claim that climate agendas shouldn't conflate issues of environmental regulations and carbon neutrality with quote-unquote unrelated issues like the job sector, health care, civil rights, and so on. The difficult fact that we all need to accept for this conversation to continue transparently is that these problems are connected because they are systemic. Within literature sustainability is often described as the triptych of social justice, ecological integrity, and economic well-being. Others posit that the pillars of sustainability are actually biodiversity, cultural diversity, and human well-being. With either of these definitions we can see that diversity and equity are defining properties of sustainability and cannot be separated. We also know that widespread societal changes need to be enacted and quickly to avoid the long-term catastrophic effects of human induced climate change. To create this future we must address the energy sector which means we need to critically evaluate the transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, industries. Every aspect of society must be evaluated and adjusted accordingly. And since we live in a country where racism and bias are seeped in the foundation of our nation these injustices are likewise seen in all of these different sectors. It's my opinion that if we separate these conversations we are perpetuating the injustices of our system. So let's talk about those injustices. There are a devastating number of examples that show how marginalized communities are being disproportionately affected by the effects of and response to the climate crisis. Specifically within the U.S. marginalized communities means communities of color, low-income communities, indigenous communities, women, and non-conforming youth and elderly persons. As Maddie Cooper said in episode 2 climate change is a risk multiplier so climate change compounds these inequalities. The changes in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events particularly affect communities of color because these communities are already vulnerable due to economic insecurity, substandard housing stock, the list goes on. The change in climate affects geographical areas differently. For example sea level rise is displacing coastal dwelling communities which are disproportionately comprised of people of color. Climate gentrification has begun to push out black communities in these cities and will continue to accelerate as the crisis intensifies. It also affects zip codes differently because poor communities tend to have less trees which means less shade which results in hot spots which within the media are often referred to as urban heat islands. Studies have shown that individuals in these communities often have higher rates of chronic illness that are exacerbated by the hotter temperatures. Along the same lines the NAACP Clean Air Task Force found that extractive and polluting facilities are frequently operated in majority black communities which compromises long and short-term health of these communities again causing elevated health risks. A report by the EPA researchers in the American Journal of Public Health in 2018 found that black Americans were exposed to air pollution particles at a rate of 1.5 times higher than the national average. We've also come to learn how the response to human-induced and natural disasters disproportionately affects black and brown communities. A harrowing fact that most people are already aware of is that black men are incarcerated at a much much higher rate than any other demographic 70% of incarcerated peoples. Inmate labor was used to clean up the BP oil spill in 2010 and was used in the wildfires throughout North and California in the past years and these people are often being paid pennies on the dollar one dollar per hour in California for extreme life-threatening work in the hope of an early release and it is truly disgusting that this is allowed to happen and will continue to happen legally as disasters occur with increased scale and frequency. The reality is that black communities are being affected more severely than white communities because of the interconnectedness and pervasiveness of systemic racism. I'm sure that you too are feeling a mixture of emotions, anger and grief, frustration and personal responsibility. Adhering these facts it will take an incredible amount of work to create equity but we need to try and start somewhere. The NAACP has an incredible climate justice initiative toolkit that they've released in 2010 it's as relevant today as it was 10 years ago. In it they talk about an equitable green economy and this includes jobs that not only improve the environmental health of the community but also pays living wages, benefits to workers, provides safe and healthy work environment, enables advocacy for ourselves and community. In their toolkit they provide a clear pathway for understanding and creating opportunity. So how does this relate to the conversation about museums and higher education and conservation? Well thanks to Henry we know that built heritage is part of the problem and has to be part of the solution. We can invest in these renewable energy sectors within our institutions and it will be mutually beneficial. It's been shown that sustainable initiatives save institution money and let's be frank in a capitalist, corporative society it often comes down to profit. It will also create a demand for green-collar jobs which we know statistically are mostly filled by black and brown men. This is just one optional pathway forward and it certainly won't change the systemic problems that persist in our country. It is a starting point though and we need to start somewhere. I want to thank you for joining me today for this conversation. I hope you feel some empowerment by the increased information provided and are committed to creating change or at least having these conversations within your sphere of influence. I'd also like to thank the entire ECPN and AIC community for supporting MNI in this new venture and to the University of Delaware for financially supporting our guest speakers in honor of Buonapuya. In our next episode we'll speak with Francis Lukasek who worked with an indigenous community in Alaska who is very directly being addressed by the climate crisis. Until next time.