Environmental &
Climate Justice
NOT ALL
Communities are EQUAL
Why it Matters
In Florida, the U.S., and many other countries, low-income, Black, Indigenous, Latino/a, Asian and other peoples have long been politically or economically aggregated into areas subject to higher levels of: pollution (e.g., near powerplants, urban factories, landfills), flooding (lower elevation, historically flood-prone communities), and other factors that degrade public health, education, and economic mobility generation after generation (Bullard et al. 2014; Campbell et al. 2016; Fusi et al. 2021; Congressional Research Service 2024).
For over 30 years, formal research on and actions to remedy environmental justice (EJ) issues have been widespread, most commonly based on the EPA definition: “The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, culture, national origin, income, and educational levels with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of protective environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” Impacts from changes in climate have also been increasingly documented among lower-income populations (e.g., Yale Prog. On Climate Change Communication, 2025) and often involve the same drivers that contribute to EJ impacts. The Indian River Lagoon and nearby coastal regions have many communities that are subject to both Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) issues, including flooding and extreme heat.
Source: M. Moore, Howard Univ. 2022
Source: West Palm Beach Fishing Club
Climate change and associated environmental impacts affect the IRL’s highly diverse animal and plant populations in negative manners that also have economic impacts (e.g., web page summaries and literature throughout this site). Current and future social, economic, and environmental research is widely needed to assemble essential data to improve strategic planning and adaptation strategies for coastal human communities (Fusi et al. 2021), as well as the fauna and flora living in, or from, coastal waters. Many agencies have stopped essentially all EJ, CJ, and associated research and policy efforts as of early 2025 (e.g., EOS.org. 2025; EnvironmentalHealthNews, 2025).
Not all communities are equal in resilience to repeated impacts from extreme weather and the increasing long-term economic and social challenges. There are emergency preparation and disaster response guides to manage impacted people along the disaster continuum (e.g., Steichen et al, 2021). There are also various guides for stormwater planning and infrastructure programs (e.g., Green Infrastructure Leadership and Greenprint Partners, 2022). Communities subject to higher proportions of disasters can contribute to understanding climate change impacts. For example, the use of such Fishers’ Knowledge or Local Ecological knowledge is occurring in coastal research and management activities globally and the IRL (e.g., IUCN, 2020; Adams et al. 2025).
If interested in volunteering or otherwise taking action on issues above, the What We Can Do page can assist.