Friends,

Good morning again, class!

This week we examine the effects of climate change on inequality. It hasn’t gained nearly the attention it should.

Among the questions I’ll be addressing today are: How do environmental issues connect to wealth/income, racial, and geographic inequality? What role does environmental policy play in addressing this inequality? How will different communities be affected by climate change? What role do social movements play in addressing environmental justice issues?

Recommended readings (just click on the link):

• Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich, “How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering,” The New York Times, August 24, 2020

• Vann R. Newkirk II, “Fighting Environmental Racism in North Carolina,” The New Yorker, January 16, 2016

• Andrew Winston, “What 1,000 CEOs Really Think About Climate Change and Inequality,” Harvard Business Review, September 24, 2019

• Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna, “California just got bipartisan support to extend its cap and trade program to 2030,” Vox, July 18, 2017