Climate Justice is Racial Justice Initiative
Call-to-Action
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1: Watch this Video Explaining the Issues
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2: Sign this Petition
in Support of Investment in Clean Energy & Reliable Public Transit |
Sign below to attest to your understanding of the connection between neighborhoods, environment and health status. Show your agreement that we must support initiatives, like investment in Clean Energy and safe, reliable, clean public transit. These initiatives protect the health and improve the quality of life of citizens living in all of Maryland communities, in particular communities of color, which are disproportionately harmed by prior divestments.
Empower Those in Need through Your Voice! Sign the Petition!
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Sign the petition if you agree it’s past time to improve the quality of life by investing in clean energy and safe, reliable, clean public transit. Transit equity offers far-reaching solutions to some of our biggest racial and economic injustices. Transit equity is an underlying ill that disadvantages and plagues many of our residents, in ways that are not so obvious.
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We Urge Your Support in Demanding that Community and Policy Leaders
Protect essential workers. Frontline workers have been the true heroes of the pandemic, providing for the health, safety, and basic needs of our communities. Frontline workers staff “essential” workplaces -- postal services, health care facilities, grocery stores, farms and factories -- and the transit necessary to get other essential workers to their jobs and homes; and children, to and from school. And the burdens of this work often fall heaviest on minorities. Black workers account for 1 in 6 of all front line industry workers, and Latinx workers are the least likely to be able to work from home and most likely to have lost their job during the pandemic. Each of these workers risk their lives for us each day.[1]
Invest in clean energy. Baltimore City, Maryland, has among the highest rate of emission-related deaths in the country[4]. Air pollution is concentrated in Black and low-income communities across Maryland, . It not only worsens climate change -- with effects hitting these communities hardest -- it also makes COVID-19 15 times more deadly.[2] Investing in wind, solar, and energy efficiency cuts pollution from the fossil fuel industries, which disproportionately place toxic facilities in Black and brown communities. (Consider the Brandywine community in Prince George’s County, where residents live with five coal and gas plants within a 15-mile radius -- a clear example of environmental racism.)
Invest in clean transportation and smart streets. A quarter of greenhouse gas pollution in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic comes from the transportation sector.[3] Public transportation moves Marylanders, reducing traffic congestion and pollution while providing access to basic needs and work opportunities for those who cannot afford a personal vehicle. For example, during this pandemic, 1 in 3 Baltimore City residents have relied on public transportation for work, food, and medical care. Electrifying public transit while offering reliable, affordable, safe service means fewer people in cars, less congestion on our roads, and healthier air for everyone.
Invest in Black and Brown Communities. Investments are often unevenly distributed by race, income, and geography. It is time for our leaders to invest in Black educational institutions, communities, and businesses.
Invest in clean energy. Baltimore City, Maryland, has among the highest rate of emission-related deaths in the country[4]. Air pollution is concentrated in Black and low-income communities across Maryland, . It not only worsens climate change -- with effects hitting these communities hardest -- it also makes COVID-19 15 times more deadly.[2] Investing in wind, solar, and energy efficiency cuts pollution from the fossil fuel industries, which disproportionately place toxic facilities in Black and brown communities. (Consider the Brandywine community in Prince George’s County, where residents live with five coal and gas plants within a 15-mile radius -- a clear example of environmental racism.)
Invest in clean transportation and smart streets. A quarter of greenhouse gas pollution in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic comes from the transportation sector.[3] Public transportation moves Marylanders, reducing traffic congestion and pollution while providing access to basic needs and work opportunities for those who cannot afford a personal vehicle. For example, during this pandemic, 1 in 3 Baltimore City residents have relied on public transportation for work, food, and medical care. Electrifying public transit while offering reliable, affordable, safe service means fewer people in cars, less congestion on our roads, and healthier air for everyone.
Invest in Black and Brown Communities. Investments are often unevenly distributed by race, income, and geography. It is time for our leaders to invest in Black educational institutions, communities, and businesses.
Stand for Right, Protect a Neighborhood: Sign the Petition Now!
Environmental & Climate Justice Co-Chairpersons: Staci Hartwell & Farmer Chippy
Committee Contact: ecj@pgcnaacp.org
Committee Contact: ecj@pgcnaacp.org