Climate Change From The Streets: How Conflict And Collaboration Strengthen The Environmental Justice Movement Hardcover

New

Michael Mendez

An urgent and timely story of the contentious politics of incorporating environmental justice into global climate change policy Although the science of climate change is clear, policy decisions about how to respond to its effects remain contentious. Even when such decisions claim to be guided by objective knowledge, they are made and implemented through political institutions and relationships-and all the competing interests and power struggles that this implies. Michael Mendez tells a timely story of people, place, and power in the context of climate change and inequality. He explores the perspectives and influence low-income people of color bring to their advocacy work on climate change. In California, activist groups have galvanized behind issues such as air pollution, poverty alleviation, and green jobs to advance equitable climate solutions at the local, state, and global levels. Arguing that environmental protection and improving public health are inextricably linked, Mendez contends that we must incorporate local knowledge, culture, and history into policymaking to fully address the global complexities of climate change and the real threats facing our local communities.

9780300232158

English

Yale University Press

04 Feb 2020

304

Michael Mendez is assistant professor of environmental planning and policy at the University of California, Irvine. He previously served in California as a senior consultant, lobbyist, and gubernatorial appointee during the passage of the state's internationally acclaimed climate change legislation.

"This excellent richly-researched book connects evidence, public health, and politics to argue lucidly for equity-oriented approaches linking embodiment, environmental justice, and climate change."-Nancy Krieger, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health