We know that minority populations bear an unequal burden when it comes to climate change. And yes, Black Americans are concerned about the climate crisis, but they don’t see the environment as a top-tier issue. So, what can advocates and policymakers do to make climate change more relevant to Black communities and ensure their inclusion in a clean energy transition?

Jared DeWese is Senior Communications Advisor for the Climate & Energy Program at Third Way, a center-left federal policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. Jared joins Ross to discuss the organization’s recent report, ‘Black Americans Care About Climate Change (But It’s Complicated),’ sharing the top takeaways from their qualitative research and explaining how advocates can mobilize communities of color around climate change by connecting the issue with their daily lives.

Jared weighs in on how Black Americans are impacted by climate change, introducing us to the idea of environmental racism and exploring what we can do to confront and transform discriminatory systems and policies. Listen in for Jared’s insight on promoting climate policy in a divided Congress and learn why he is optimistic about the potential for real progress at this particular moment in history.

Resources:

Third Way Energy on Twitter

Jared on Twitter

Black Americans Care About Climate Change (But It’s Complicated)

Yale Program on Climate Communication Study on Race & Attitudes Toward Climate Change

The Environmental Kuznets Curve

When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequity in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson

Joe Biden’s Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution & Environmental Justice

Otto von Bismarck & the Welfare State

The History of Rome Podcast

Revolutions Podcast

The Life & Legacy of John Lewis on The Daily Podcast

James Baldwin on Being Black in America

Alexander Hamilton on Slavery as Wasted Potential

W.E.B. Du Bois’ Concept of Double Consciousness

The Environmental Defense Fund Poll on African Americans & Clean Energy Resources

Nori

Nori on Twitter