Justice

Justice Statement

Anthropocene Alliance combats climate change and environmental abuse by building grassroots coalitions in the communities most badly affected. We provide support and training to community leaders, and connect them to the government agencies and nonprofit programs that can help them.

Because these leaders know more about the harms they suffer than we do, and because they often possess great creativity and resilience, they are essential partners for us in the search for practical and policy solutions to our most pressing, environmental challenges.

Priorities

We support everyone we can, but our special priority is:

1. Low-income people
2. Black, Latino, Native American and other underserved communities

Research has shown that people with low income or little family wealth, or who come from historically oppressed or marginalized communities, suffer disproportionately from climate change and environmental abuse. They have fewer resources with which to fight back, and are more likely to be ignored by politicians and other decision makers.* Anthropocene Alliance (A2) partners with the communities to help them get organized, heard, and supported.

Read the Op-Ed by Anthropocene Alliance leaders, Katherine Egland and Hilton Kelley: Climate justice in frontline communities: Here’s how to (really) help.

Commitment

Our mission is reflected in our board of directors, leadership, fundraising, and communications. We commit to:

  1. Recruit Board members committed to our mission, and experienced with the communities we serve. We seek out leaders in business, science, education, and the arts.

  2. Identify, train and support grassroots leaders from low-income, Black, Latino, Native American and other historically oppressed or marginalized communities.

  3. Shift resources and decision-making when possible to the communities we serve. This allows A2 to keep its staff small and direct resources where they are needed most.

  4. Use social and traditional media to amplify the voices of our grassroots leaders.

*See for example, research on the disproportionate impacts of climate change, air pollution, lead poisoning, and hazardous waste.

Illustration: Gislebertus, Detail from Last Judgment, Autun, c. 1130. Learn more about this artwork.