Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Virtual – Zoom Platform
Centering Justice and Human Rights in What We Say and Do About Environmental Racism and Climate Change Inequities
Indigenous, Black, and other racialized and marginalized communities are disproportionately vulnerable to the climate crisis resulting from their greater exposure to environmental racism in the form of pollution and contamination from nearby industry, as well as their residence in regions where they are more likely to be impacted by rising sea levels, disappearing shorelines, frequent and heavy rainfall, raging storms and floods, intense heat waves, increasing wildfire, and poor air quality that hit them first and worst.
In this presentation, Dr. Ingrid Waldron (Professor & HOPE Chair in Peace and Health, Global Peace and Social Justice Program, Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University) will discuss the relationship between environmental racism and climate change inequities and their impacts in Indigenous, Black, and other marginalized communities in Canada. She will examine Canada’s role in creating and maintaining environmental racism and climate change inequities by highlighting how the relationship between environmental racism and climate change inequities is rooted in “place” or geography, slavery and colonialism, and a legacy of structural inequities in these communities. Using environmental and climate justice frameworks that are premised on justice, human rights and civil rights, Dr. Waldron will discuss how she has been addressing environmental racism and climate change impacts through her organizations, as well as the role of government, institutions of higher education, and the public in addressing these issues.
Accessibility: If you have any accessibility questions or are looking for further information on how we might support your participation including accommodation requests, please contact s.baig@utoronto.ca, and we will work with you to make appropriate arrangements.