NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program

The Environmental and Climate Justice Program was birthed out of the recognition that communities of color and low income community sit at the nexus between being directly impacted by pollution from the very facilities that drive climate change and also being hit first and worst from the results of climate change. Therefore, the program strategy is two-pronged: Reducing harmful emissions through increased regulations and shutting down the most polluting facilities, coal fired power plants, while also working to advanced alternatives through energy efficiency and clean energy measures and; strengthening community resilience by building local economies and increasing local self-reliance. Community/unit level work has encompassed comprehensive visioning, planning, and reform which has resulted in whole community designs being implemented in Gulfport, MS and Prichard, AL including: green schools, waste diversion/recycling, community owned energy, local food movements, transformational resilience, and clean air resolutions/ordinances.