At least year’s EJAM Founders’ Day celebration, participants identified global warming as a top priority among environmental justice issues. The Climate Justice Working Group emerged as the result of EJAM’s grass roots organizing. Early in 2007, WEI with EJAM submitted and received a grant from the Minneapolis Foundation, funding the collaborative Climate Justice Project between the two organizations and in support of the working group’s efforts.
The purpose of the Climate Justice Working Group is to provide a space for people of color and low income communities to engage, network and be empowered for self-advocacy around climate change impacts and solutions that affect their communities.
The group meets every third Tuesday in a location determined at the prior meeting. Contact Eleonore Wesserle, the WEI's Climate Justice Coordinator, to learn more: eleonore@w-e-i.org
The groups also sends out meeting announcements, major Climate Justice
events and important resources over the EJadvocates listserv. If you
are interested in joining the listserv, send an email to ejadvocates-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The Climate Justice collaboration between WEI and EJAM officially started on October 21, 2007. Over the past year, the group has grown and accomplished the following:
• Development of 10 Principles for Just Climate Change Policies in Minnesota Link to pdf] (pdf document)
• October 21, 2007: Official start of EJAM/WEI Climate Justice Project collaboration!
• Hiried Dr. Cecilia Martinez as principal investigator on climate justice impacts in Minnesota
• Sent letter and follow-up to the Governor’s Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group (MCCAG);attended and spoke at the
Jan. 24, 2008 MCCAG meeting
• Organized a Climate Justice powerpoint presentation and discusison on Climate Justice at EJAM Founders Day, Jan. 12, 2008
The working group has further goals planned , foremost being building on the community base in communities of color, low income communities, and indigenous populations. Further development of advocacy goals are also in the works.
Climate Justice Resources
(1) Climate Change in California: Health, Economic, and Equity Impacts (Revised), March 2006
http://www.rprogress.org/newpubs/2006/CARB_ES_0306.pdf ← link to this
(2) "Community Jobs in the Green Economy - A Vision for a Green Economy and Equitable Development"It focuses on urban, people of color, and energy (specifically the new energy economy).
(4) "Bali Climate Justice Principles"
(5) Redefining Progress: Environmental Justice and Climate Change initiative Link to http://www.ejcc.org]
