Read what our spring co-ops have to say on how they understand climate justice and the role they want to play in building a more just future:

Adele Andrews:

Climate and environmental justice has become the lens through which I see global crises like climate change. Because of the deep connections climate justice draws on all levels, it also affects my fundamental values and how I want to form relationships with other people and the world. I participate in the environmental justice movement locally in the Sunrise Movement and I try to help us build power by using some of the knowledge I've gained in this position, giving my time, and pushing us to define big goals together.

Josh Sisman:

Being from Miami, I have seen how policies meant to address the climate crisis have only driven up inequality while enriching private real estate developers. In my eyes, climate justice means more than mitigating the effects of climate change; rather it means attacking the root causes of climate change while giving reparations and returning ownership of systems to the most afflicted communities. Drawing on my experiences with communications and political organizing, I try to build effective messaging that brings community members into the fold of the climate justice struggle. 

Kailey Williams:

My understanding of climate justice is that it is a movement which encompasses both social and environmental justice with an emphasis on intersectionality, and promotes solutions which focus on root causes and often involve transforming structures, systems, and power. As a graphic designer, I see my role as helping to visualize a more just and sustainable future and to encourage support for climate action through design.

Lucy Davis-Hup:

Climate justice provides a framework to understand the complex social implications that are inseparable from  the climate crisis. In order to meaningfully address climate change and mitigate its environmental, social, and economic impacts in a just and equitable way, this framework must be the foundation for any action. In my experience as a student, writer, and researcher, I’ve come to see exceptional value in clear, effective communication of climate justice issues — building a livable and sustainable future first requires broad public understanding of the climate crisis and its unequal impacts.

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Miranda Hazoury:

I understand climate justice as a movement that seeks to understand the climate crisis and the inevitable intersections of social issues and the environment. To be able to successfully mitigate climate change, climate justice must be used as a framework to better understand the deep political, economic, environmental and social impacts of climate action. As an architecture student, I’ve found my role in visualizing a sustainable urban plan that addresses climate change and its impacts on our systems.

Maliya Ellis:

I understand climate justice to be a framework that recognizes and exposes the interconnections between environmental harms and unequal social systems. This recognition forms the basis for a movement to strike at the root causes of climate injustice, dismantle inequitable power structures, and ensure a world that provides equally for all people. As a writer, I see my role as synthesizing and making accessible information from inside the climate justice movement for a general audience. I also hope to use reporting and storytelling to uplift voices from those most affected in order to spread awareness and foster empathy between disparate groups.