Note: As a society, we have reached a point where we can no longer debate the basic facts of climate change — it’s happening. Arguments denying that global warming exists, and denying the hand humans played in this crisis are based in misinformation and fallacy. I cannot address these arguments in this blog.

As the National Climate Assessments released in the fall of last year demonstrated, the consequences of climate change are already present, and will continue to grow if we do not take immediate action. Even when knowing this, it can be difficult to fully comprehend the urgency of this issue. It seems intangible to the many of us who have not yet been directly impacted. But as the Climate Assessment points out: “Climate change…exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States.” The first to be impacted by climate change are those who are the least privileged or marginalized: traditionally minority, low-income, and tribal communities. So, while you and I may not feel the impact right now, marginalized people do. They bear a disproportionate burden of the changing climate and will continue to do so as conditions worsen.

These claims, at first, may seem untrue. The earth has no biased against the poor or people of color. If anything would act a great equalizer, it would be the changing climate. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Dr. Robert Bullard, sometimes referred to as the ‘father of environmental justice,’ says both “conscious design [and] institutional neglect” create these burdens on marginalized communities. The earth may not be biased against these groups, but the governments and institutions that create environmental policy and law certainly are. For instance, a disproportionate amount of water pollution, air pollution, and hazardous waste sites are found in the poorer residential areas of the United States. Often these areas, both urban and rural, are mostly populated by black and Hispanic communities. Sometimes, this is through ‘conscious design’ — companies dump waste and pollute in areas with lower property values or where citizens have less power to advocate for their communities. And often the government prioritizes the health, safety, and cleanliness of wealthy, white communities, leading to ‘institutional neglect’ of the less privileged. Another example, relevant especially in our country, is the historical and continued theft, destruction, and commodification of lands belonging to Native Americans. Recently, we witnessed this with the protests at Standing Rock over the DACA pipeline, which could have polluted their water supply and devastated their community.

And not only are communities like Flint, Michigan and the Sioux Tribe unfairly burdened by the changing climate, but they also do not have the resources to be resilient in the face of these issues. If air and water are polluted, many poorer communities lack adequate healthcare to deal with the risks of living in a contaminated environment. If natural disasters and rising water levels destroy homes and displace families, many do not have the funds to repair or move.

All of this is cyclical because these marginalized groups are not adequately represented in government and other powerful institutions, and therefore have no access to environmental law and policy making. Their situations will continue to be ignored, or worse, exacerbated, until people of color, of lower income, and of indigenous origin have equal access to the organizations combating climate change.

We often think of climate change through the lens of our own experiences, partially because the environmental movement historically has been dominated by white and upper-class groups. But everyone’s lives will be impacted differently, some much more than others. If we ignore this, we do not see the full picture of this issue. Therefore, environmental justice, which studies the intersections of oppression and the environment, is a perfect lens to examine the urgency of climate change, how it already impacts our community, and how we should approach solutions.