Environmental and Climate Justice

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 grouped into areas subject to higher levels of: pollution (e.g., near powerplants, 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, 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.

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 valuable emergency preparation and disaster response guides to manage impacted people along the disaster continuum (e.g., Steichen et al, 2021). There are also valuable guides for stormwater planning and infrastructure programs (e.g., Green Infrastructure Leadership and Greenprint Partners, 2022). Making smart long-term planning decisions now will assist future generations in all communities.

In the city of Ft. Pierce in the southern Indian River Lagoon, climate resilience needs and responses in communities historically impacted by storm events involve multi-partner planning (Smart Growth America - Incubate Neighbor Center, 2023). Communities subject to higher proportions of disasters can contribute to understanding climate change impacts. The use of traditional ecological knowledge and fishers knowledge is also increasing in coastal research and management activities from global to IRL-scales (e.g., IUCN, 2020; Islands in the Sand, 2020 Adams et al. 2025).

If interested in volunteering or otherwise taking action on issues above, the What We Can Do page can assist.