Climate Change and Systemic Environmental Racism

There are numerous reasons why dire warnings about climate change have not translated into urgent action. Among those factors, systemic racism has pervaded the creation of the climate crisis and the lack of response to it.

In a new report, Emily Sample and Regina M. Paulose describe the global forces of colonialism, imperialism, and white supremacy that have driven us to the current climate emergency. They review the present state of climate and environmental diplomacy and highlight how even “green” energy projects may replicate racial injustice, particularly on the lands of Indigenous peoples.

Read the full report, which makes the case that those who lead the fight against climate change must self-reflect on environmental history and the root causes of the climate crisis.

This paper is part of the 61st Strategy for Peace Conference: Disrupting the History of Racism in Peace and Security, co-organized by the Stanley Center for Peace and Security and Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS), taking place in early 2022. This series of reports coauthored by WCAPS members considers the history of global systemic racism in the fields of climate change, nuclear weapons, and mass violence and atrocity prevention.