This week on, On Point with Juandolyn Stokes (OPWJS) we were joined by two impressive panels of scientists to discuss,” Why We Must Care about Climate Change.”
OPWJS has hosted several previous panel discussions on this important topic.
“Climate Change is happening now; it is not something happening in the future,” said Meishka Mitchell, President and CEO of Emerald Cities Collaborative.
We have seen evidence of the effects of Climate Change with floods, and other extreme incidents and according to our panelists, there is more to come.
What is just as important as the weather changes is the fact that Climate Change is a civil rights issue, an issue of racial justice that must be paired with climate justice, says Justin Schott,
Director of Energy Equity Project.
What the panelists seem to agree on is the fact that impoverished communities and marginalized communities are always left out of important discussions and policy decisions that affect them most.
“Superfund Sites” in cities like Flint, MI, Jackson, MS, and Brunswick GA have all been subjected to the effects of dangerous and cancer- causing pollutants that have plagued Black neighborhoods.
According to Dr. Joe Bozeman, Asst. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, “Gentrification is connected to economics, and it is likely to continue; it is a circular economy.”
Rebuilding communities with reusable materials from demolition sites was offered as an option to help improve communities and provide affordable housing.