Washington, D.C. — Climate change, racial injustice, the coronavirus pandemic, and economic inequality have formed interlocking crises that threaten the health, safety, and well-being of communities of color across the globe. Racist policies and institutions, stemming from legacies of slavery and colonization, have burdened Black and brown neighborhoods with disproportionate amounts of air and water pollution. The same communities battling the disparate health effects of pollution are often simultaneously on the front lines of its other catastrophic effect: climate change. Sea level rise, heat waves, and storms are becoming more intense—and more deadly—as the climate crisis worsens.
But just as the root causes of racism and the climate crisis are interwoven, so are the solutions. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, young people, especially young people of color, are calling for their leaders to take bold climate action that prioritizes an equitable economic recovery centered on racial justice. As the United States and United Kingdom turn their sights toward the Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22, it is critical that both climate justice and racial justice are a part of developing a road map for recovery.
Please join the Center for American Progress for a discussion on the interconnected nature of pursuing racial justice and climate justice—in both the American and British contexts—through a conversation between British Member of Parliament David Lammy and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA).
WHO
Distinguished panelists:
David Lammy, Labour Member of Parliament for Tottenham
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA)
Moderator:
John Podesta, Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors, Center for American Progress
WHEN
Thursday, April 8, 2021
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET
WHERE
You must RSVP at this link to watch the livestream event.
If you have questions for our panel, please submit them on Twitter using the hashtag #AJustClimate or via email to [email protected].
For more information, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected] or 202-478-6327.