IE’s Letter To President Biden

Dear President Biden,

We Need Climate Accountability + Action NOW.

The climate justice crisis is here now and Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities are disproportionately harmed by environmental injustice in the United States and have been for decades. From alarmingly high rates of air and water pollution, to toxic waste sites and unequal access to green spaces, environmental policy has failed to protect all people equally.

The U.S. is the world’s largest contributor per capita to the climate crisis and the communities that are least responsible are most often targeted. Previous administrations promised to take climate action but have fallen short - both in addressing the climate crisis and focusing on environmental justice. An intersectional approach to environmental policy is necessary if we are to protect both people and the planet. 

We are committed to holding the Biden Administration accountable. We are calling on this administration for climate accountability and to commit to the following:

• Meet with The Intersectional Environmentalist (IE) Council
  Founded in the summer of 2020, the IE Council is a diverse group of activists, leaders, outdoor educators, researchers, and student professors, advocating for increased representation of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Disabled and other under-amplified communities within the environmental sector. Through our collective advocacy, we have built a community of over 300,000 people in less than a year who are dedicated to shifting the environmental narrative towards one that includes intersectional advocacy with a combined reach of over one million. We ask that this new administration, who previously hosted a conversation on our platform, continue this relationship and: 

  • Work directly with the Intersectional Environmentalist team, council and community who can be great allies in the fight for climate justice and are well connected with on-the-ground climate action. 

  • Commit to cultivating strong relationships with grassroot-community-based media platforms and include us in press briefings + listening sessions related to climate action so we can work together to bring accessible and culturally relevant climate information to underrepresented groups. 

• Listen and Shift the Narrative
  Traditional environmental education often leaves out Black, Latinx, Indigenous and Asian experiences and knowledge. Environmental training for government organizations must shift the narrative to be more inclusive and culturally competent; and must acknowledge that systemic racism has historically influenced climate policy in favor of white Americans.

  • Listen to grassroots activists, organizations and communities most impacted by environmental injustice.

  • Provide space to hear their stories and work to build back trust in the government.

• Take Action and Declare a Climate Emergency

  Time is of the essence and environmental injustice is a direct consequence of systemic racism.

  • Declare a climate emergency and address environmental racism in this declaration.

  • Invest in BIPOC communities when working towards a green recovery by prioritizing job creation, climate reparations and climate justice.

We welcome a meeting with the Biden Administration + the new Environmental Justice Advisory Board to offer our support on carrying out these commitments.

Signed,

Intersectional Environmentalist

+ Intersectional Environmentalist Council*

Leah Thomas, Founder + CEO of Intersectional Environmentalist

Diandra Marizet, Co-Founder + Resource Director of Intersectional Environmentalist 

Sabs Katz, Co-Founder + Communications Director of Intersectional Environmentalist 

Philip Aiken, Co-Founder + Media Director of Intersectional Environmentalist 

Teresa Baker, Founder of the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge + the In Solidarity Project

José G. González, Founder + CEO of Latino Outdoors

Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Co-Founder of Queer Nature 

Aditi Mayer, Labor Rights Activist, Photojournalist, + Sustainable Fashion Blogger

Sophia Li, Multimedia Journalist + Film Director 

Wyn Wiley / Pattie Gonia, Drag Queen + Intersectional Environmentalist / Photographer, Creative Director, + Outdoorist 

Ron Griswell, Founder + CEO of HBCUs Outside

Mikaela Loach, Climate Justice Activist + Co-Host of YIKES Podcast 

Isaias Hernandez, Creator of Queer Brown Vegan

Kevin J Patel, Founder + Executive Director of OneUpAction 

Abigail Adekunbi Thomas, Environmental Employee Engagement at Patagonia

Anushka Bhaskar, Student + Founder of Avritah

Jordan Marie Daniel, Founder of Rising Hearts 

Kamilah Journét, Marketing Strategist, Writer, + Distance Runner

Andrea Pereze, Indigenous Environmental Justice Advocate

Jordan Chatman, Multimedia Environmentalist

Kristy Drutman, Digital Strategist + Host of Brown Girl Green

Sage Lenier, Environmental Educator