Race, Poverty & the Environment’s climate justice portal

Thousands of people from across the United States. who see the impacts of climate change in their communities are flying to Copenhagen for the United Nations climate conference set to open December 7. They are building alliances with citizens and governments from across the developing world to press for global warming solutions deeper than the market-based carbon trading schemes that dominate the news. Race, Poverty & the Environment (RP&E), the national journal for social and environmental justice, is bringing their stories, their voices and a host of background material to reporters, editors and activists at its new climate justice web portal, www.urbanhabitat.org/climatejustice.

“This emerging climate justice movement will be a strong third voice in the Copenhagen debate, one that cannot be ignored by anyone seeking to understand the full global impact of climate change,” said Juliet Ellis, executive director of Urban Habitat, which publishes RP&E.

RP&E’s climate justice portal will include:
•    Stories from the magazine’s newest issue, “Climate Change: Catalyst or Catastrophe?”
•    A list of sources who are available for interviews on various aspects of climate justice.
•    Links to in-depth research papers for background on climate issues.
•    News feeds from around the world.
•    Links to the latest information and action from the Mobilization for Climate Justice.

Several of RP&E’s sources will be on the ground in Copenhagen, including San Francisco high school students from the Environmental Service Learning Initiative and their adult advisor, Ellen Choy; Gopal Dayaneni of Movement Generation, and Adrienne Maree Brown of the Ruckus Society.

 “If current proposals for market-based strategies take hold, poor countries and poor communities will continue to bear the heaviest burden of pollution,” said RP&E editor Jesse Clarke. “Groups working on diverse issues with diverse constituencies are converging and cooperating on climate justice initatives while continuing the work in which they are rooted. Together, we can build shared language, analysis, and practice and pave the way toward a common vision of a more just social and economic system,” Clarke said.

For more information: Jesse Clarke, Editor, RP&E, 510-435-4745,  editor@urbanhabitat.org, or Christine Joy Ferrer, Communications and Publishing Assistant,  510-839-9510 x303.

RP&E is the national journal of social and environmental justice published by Urban Habitat, 436 14th St. #1201, Oakland, CA 94612