In April, President Biden established a new office to help address the current injustice with environmental impacts. The Office of Environmental Justice will work across federal agencies and use scientific data to understand how best to protect human health from pollution.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies."
As detailed in USA Today, research has show "communities where Black, Indigenous and other people of color live are disproportionately affected by exposures to toxic substances, extreme heat and flooding, and they receive less money to address such problems."
The establishment of this office didn't happen overnight. The first steps were taken by community groups almost twenty years ago, according to the Climate Justice Alliance.
What groups in your community are working towards environmental justice? Perhaps they could use your support.