Engage with The Forefront

Engage with The Forefront

In the heart of the climate crisis, the environmental justice movement stands as a beacon of hope for communities disproportionately affected by environmental hazards. This grassroots social movement, which gained definition during the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991, is a call for fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, in environmental policies and practices [1][2].

The movement's core mission is to address environmental racism—the targeting of minority and low-income communities for hazardous waste sites and unequal enforcement of environmental laws. It seeks not just to redistribute environmental harms, but to abolish them, ensuring that everyone has the right to live in safe and healthy environments without being exposed to toxic or harmful substances [1].

Yessenia Funes, the climate editor at Atmos, approaches environmental justice with a holistic lens, humanizing climate change by viewing pollution as anything harmful to our environment, homes, and bodies. She has been covering the intersection of the environment and race for about half a decade [3].

In contrast, the government's definition of environmental justice tends to be narrower and more bureaucratic. It often frames environmental justice primarily in terms of ensuring equal protection under environmental laws and regulations without fully embracing the grassroots movement’s broader goals of systemic change and addressing intersecting social injustices such as racism and classism [1].

The newsletter "The Frontline" launched by Yessenia Funes aims to bridge this gap. It will focus on frontline communities, including low-income communities, communities of color, tribal nations, immigrant bordertowns, and nations in the Global South. The newsletter will offer a variety of content, including explanatory pieces, Big News of the week, teasers, mini data stories, and exclusive newsletter content [4].

Frontline communities are often the first to witness the cycle of climate catastrophe, but are also the last ones to receive help from leaders. These communities often rely on their own ranks to make environmental justice happen, rather than relying on help from the White House, Congress, or celebrities [5].

The climate crisis is the most urgent issue of our time, affecting not just the environment but also people, including you and me. The environmental justice movement is a call to action for all of us, a reminder that we all have a role to play in creating a safer, healthier, and more equitable world for everyone.

References: [1] National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. (1992). Definition of Environmental Justice. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-05/documents/definition_of_environmental_justice.pdf [2] Bullard, R. D. (1994). Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality. Retrieved from https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520087926/dumping-in-dixie [3] Funes, Y. (2021). The Frontline. Retrieved from https://atmos.co/the-frontline/ [4] Funes, Y. (2021). The Frontline: About. Retrieved from https://atmos.co/the-frontline/about/ [5] Bullard, R. D. (2020). The Quest for Environmental Justice: Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution. Retrieved from https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520247009/quest-for-environmental-justice

1. The environmental justice movement, established during the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991, focuses on fair treatment and meaningful involvement in environmental policies, addressing issues like environmental racism and the unequal enforcement of environmental laws.
2. Yessenia Funes, the climate editor at Atmos, highlights the importance of environmental justice through her work, viewing pollution as anything harmful to the environment, homes, and bodies, and emphasizing the intersection of the environment and race.
3. The government's definition of environmental justice primarily revolves around ensuring equal protection under environmental laws, while the grassroots movement advocates for systemic change, addressing intersecting social injustices such as racism and classism.
4. In an effort to bridge this gap, Yessenia Funes launched the newsletter "The Frontline," focusing on frontline communities, including low-income communities, communities of color, tribal nations, immigrant bordertowns, and nations in the Global South.
5. Frontline communities, often exposed to the first signs of climate catastrophe, are at the forefront of creating environmental justice, relying on their own resources rather than on help from political leaders or celebrities.
6. The climate crisis not only affects the environment but also people, including everyone, making it a call to action for all of us to create a safer, healthier, and more equitable world by advocating for environmental justice.

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