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Pulling in 184 sets of data to rank more than 70,000 U.S. Census tracts, the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index helps you see which communities face the greatest challenges from the impacts of a changing climate.

Developed by Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M University, the CVI visualizes the cumulative impacts many communities are experiencing from decades of inequitable development and systemic disinvestment.

Today, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) will participate in the Biden administration’s summit on Building Climate Resilient Communities.

The entire northeast corner of Ecuador was once inhabited by the A’i Cofán people, but the population has dwindled as the land has been fragmented by development. Protecting their land is a constant, sometimes dangerous, struggle. But there may be a glimmer of hope in the form of the largest-ever public-private partnership that invests in protecting the forest. 

EDF’s comments outline reasons why strong standards are needed and are anchored in law, examine how the Inflation Reduction Act reinforces EPA’s action, and call on the agency to work closely with frontline communities.

The Biden administration today issued a proclamation establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. The new monument protects nearly one million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park.

Farmworkers are on the frontlines of heat waves. A federal heat standard will protect them and make food production more climate resilient. The post The growing threat of heat for farmworkers first appeared on Growing Returns.

Statement from Daniel Whittle, Senior Director, Caribbean, Environmmental Defense Fund

Statement from Dr. Elena Craft, Associate Vice President, Climate and Health, Environmental Defense Fund

EDF contributed to a new report detailing specific ways to make sure that energy regulatory decision-making processes in Massachusetts are more inclusive and equitable.

EDF held a workshop where experts provided guidance on how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), a federal agency that works on flood risk management, can integrate equity into their benefit-cost analyses. Here are their top five recommendations.

EDF paper demonstrates who is at risk from diesel trucks serving warehouses, summarizes the new science about health impacts from air pollution generated by these trucks, and points to solutions that can protect community health.

The Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022) passed through Congress last December as part of the this typically biennial and bipartisan legislation invests in water infrastructure by authorizing projects, studies and programs led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The post How new provisions in the Water Resources Development Act are building climate resilience first appeared on Growing Returns.

Daniel Hill talks with Kristy Drutman about how she developed her own climate career roadmap when one wasn’t clear. She also speaks to how she’s attacking a big problem: the exclusionary history of climate-related employment.

Growth of delivery brings more warehouses, diesel trucks and associated health impacts closer to communities

The executive order signed today by President Biden is an important step forward to bring a whole-of-government approach to supporting the communities impacted by historic injustices and emerging climate threats.

We commend Senator Ed Markey (MA) and Representatives Ro Khanna (CA-17), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Summer Lee (PA-12) and Maxwell Frost (FL-10) for proposing legislation to mitigate the impacts of climate change on health and improve health outcomes, especially for communities disproportionately impacted by climate change.

Climate activist Heather McTeer Toney’s book explores how Black communities and leaders are pushing the movement for climate justice forward.

This post was co-authored by Julia Paltseva, Senior Analyst at EDF, and Tuntiak Katan from the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA). For more resources on high forest, low deforestation (HFLD) crediting, visit edf.org/hfld. This post has also been translated into Spanish and French (leer en español, lire en français). Forests …

Key Findings and Recommendations  Air pollution results in a large burden of childhood asthma across the country, and this burden is disproportionately borne by people of color. More than $100 million in grants from the Environmental Protection Agency is available for environmental justice initiatives, but targeting programs to alleviate the health impacts of air pollution to …

Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M University published a new study that found all states in the U.S. are at risk from the effects of climate change, particularly neighborhoods experiencing disproportionate environmental harms and risks, health disparities and infrastructure problems.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) is working on global thresholds for carbon credit and program quality to ensure that the voluntary carbon market accelerates a just transition to 1.5C. 

This blog was authored by Environmental Defense Fund economist Luis Fernández Intriago and Universidad de Los Andes professors Jorge García López and Julián Gómez Gil. The saying “Nothing about us without us” is widely used among Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to emphasize the importance of involving them in policies that govern their territories and …

Sabin Center, EDF Launch Website to Track Inflation Reduction Act’s Climate Provisions

This blog was authored by Environmental Defense Fund economist, Carolyn Kousky. Facing $150 billion annually in direct costs from climate-related disasters, the current system of disaster recovery in the U.S. is failing many families and communities. Most households struggle with timely access to sufficient financial support for the wide-ranging expenses disasters impose. And without adequate …