Advancing Environmental Justice Through Climate Action
At 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 15, 2021, The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a hearing titled “Advancing Environmental Justice Through Climate Action.” This hearing will take place remotely via Zoom video conferencing.
The hearing will review opportunities to advance environmental justice through climate action, including targeting infrastructure investments to environmental justice communities, understanding the impact of extreme heat on low-income workers and students, and supporting tribal investments in clean energy and climate resilience.
"Solving the climate crisis is about more than just reducing pollution. It’s about boosting resilience in vulnerable communities. And it’s about repairing the legacy of environmental racism" - U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor
READ REP. CASTOR'S OPENING STATEMENT
The committee will receive testimony from:
Catherine Flowers, Founder, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ). An internationally-recognized advocate for the human right to water and sanitation, Flowers works to improve access to clean air, water, and soil in marginalized rural communities within the context of climate change and through the lens of environmental justice. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Climate Reality Project and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and serves as the Rural Development Manager for the Equal Justice Initiative. Flowers is a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.
Read Flowers' testimony.
R. Jisung Park, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Park is an expert in environmental economics, labor economics, and public finance. His research focuses on how market failures such as climate change affect social and economic outcomes. In particular, Park studies the labor and human capital impacts of climate change, the prospects for long-run climate adaptation, and environmental determinants of economic mobility.
Read Park's testimony.
Nikki Cooley, Co-Manager of Tribes & Climate Change Program and Interim Assistant Director of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), Northern Arizona University. Cooley co-leads a program to help Tribal Nations as they address and prepare for climate impacts. She works with Tribal and Indigenous partners across the continental United States and Alaska on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience planning. Cooley is of the Diné (Navajo) Nation and received a master's degree in Forestry from Northern Arizona University.
Read Cooley's testimony.
Derrick Hollie, Founder and President, Reaching America. Hollie is the founder of Global Advertising 1st and Reaching America, a non-profit organization with a focus on African American outreach. He has over 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing.
