Every day millions of individuals are feeling the effects of climate change as we shift towards a total and complete climate catastrophe. Billions of dollars are poured into projects that are meant to alleviate the risk-- or even try to end-- climate change. The need to invest in our future Environmental Justice leaders and support their understanding of intersectional frameworks that aim to eradicate Climate Change and all the systems that feed it is now!
According to the WHO, up to 300,000 people will die yearly as a result of climate change, starting in 2020. Many proposed solutions to minimize the damage done occur on the institutional or systems level, places that have historically not included or centered the experiences of POC and people living in poverty. These solutions lack a proper Equity and Justice potentially further dividing social and environmental justice work, reducing the intersectional impact of climate change work.
This program will be a space to convene 20 young leaders per cohort, working on any part of justice work, from around the world for a 12-month fellowship that centers Environmental Justice work as work that everyone needs to be doing regardless of occupation or current involvement. The goal of this is fellowship is to bring Environmental Justice work to spaces that have never had it in the past, and elevating the current work to an intersectional and equitable level.
Bringing Environmental Justice work to spaces that have historically neglected it will have a transformational impact in the communities the 20 individuals per cohort will work. Offering support to the leaders already doing environmental justice work will allow them to take their work to the next level. With adequate funding, we're looking to begin two co-horts one web-based for leaders around the world, and one in CT to focus on local grassroots work that's being done in central Ct.
