Passing the Torch: A message to the next generation of climate and environmental justice leaders

There is a good reason to feel discouraged, but there is also a lot to be hopeful about.

We are coming out of a federal administration that advanced the most ambitious environmental and climate justice agenda in history, yet are now transitioning into an administration that has rescinded, rolled back, eliminated or frozen every instance of EJ policy progress and investment of its predecessors.

At the same time, uncontrolled climate change brings significant risks to both the natural world and human societies, as it causes not only loss of essential natural resources but meaningful harm to the fabric of communities and the disruption of ecologies and economies. If no major action is taken to address the rapid warming of our atmosphere, our land, and the overheating of our oceans, we can expect significantly more frequent and intense extreme weather events like heat waves, heavy rainfall, floods, wildfires, and powerful storms. We also know that coastal regions face the most immediate threats from rising sea levels.

The cost of climate inaction is expensive. A November 2024 report, commissioned by the International Chamber of Commerce, estimates that climate-related extreme weather events have cost the global economy more than $2 trillion over the past decade.

For me the saddest thing is that we lost momentum, and that we must now accept that we can’t continue on that same path pursuing those same solutions in the same way. But we are still moving forward.

We recently hosted our 10th Anniversary HBCU Climate Change conference, designed to bring together Black and Brown students who attend historically Black colleges and universities to discuss the enormity of the threat that Climate Change poses to them and their communities and seek solutions. Students get to hear from climate scientists, researchers, policy advocates, and local leaders who look like them from across the globe. Alongside learning and education, we encourage these young scholars to pursue careers as climate scientists, researchers, policy advocates and leaders in the climate space themselves.

Being with this group of vibrant, hopeful, energetic and brilliant young people for 4 days was absolutely invigorating. The next generation of young people not only believe in climate change, but are overwhelmingly determined to take action. Their determination and belief in what is possible gives me hope for the future.

This year over three hundred students, mostly from HBCUs, attended the conference held in New Orleans. They came from across the country, and even included several international students. We kicked off the conference with a ceremonial passing of the torch from longtime EJ pioneers to a new generation of young EJ leaders with the placing of a Torchbearers medallion around the necks of the young, emerging Environmental and Climate Justice leaders.

One of the highlights of the conference is our poster presentation and competition where students can present their ongoing research. The students prepared and presented more than 100 research poster presentations covering a wide-range of topics including: Assessing the Performance of Soil Profile Rehabilitation for Pluvial Flood Mitigation in Baltimore City; Atlanta’s Growing Invasive Plant Populations Impact on the Soil Health and Microbiome; Black Faces and Green Spaces: How Black Students Navigate Identity, Behavior, and Community in the Environmental Movement; and Re-defining Traditional Environmental Advocacy via Environmental Education and Community-based Partnerships. Several of our students also participated in student panel discussions.

We have been here before.

Being in the presence of so many dynamic students inspired me, and reaffirmed that though we are facing an incredibly antagonistic federal government we are not going to languish in despair. I personally have been at this work for 40 years, and our Center has been at this for 33 years. We’ve been around through several previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic. Most of whom did not understand, appreciate or prioritize the need to undo the vestiges of inequality that show up as environmental, climate and health disparities. Yet we’re still standing. We will not be intimidated. We are not afraid of adversity and we will most certainly not back down from doing this vital work.

DSCEJ’s commitment to environmental justice has remained constant across seven previous presidential administrations and we’ve experienced countless environmental regulatory, statutory and policy shifts over the past three-plus decades. We will remain steadfast in our mission to advance environmental justice and environmental protection for all.

One of my favorite John Lewis quotes reminds me: “Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”

I take the long view, and if the young people attending the HBCU Climate Change conference are any indication of the vision and vigor of the next generation, I am encouraged by what the future holds. I believe that every generation is here to push the envelope a bit further. Sometimes the envelope is closed and we have to wait until we can open it again.

My advice to Generation Next

This is a moment for deliberate action. Use the knowledge you have acquired and turn it into something good and powerful. Here is what you can do now:

1. Practice your trade.
2. Conduct research that sheds light on the impact of climate change on underserved and overburdened communities and present it at conferences like the HBCU Climate Change Conference.
3. Connect with real community heroes who are fighting the good fight but need better data and analysis in order to drive deeper impact from their actions.
4. Know that your experience is highly valued.
   – You can see things coming full circle.
   – You can see the impact that your work can make.
5. Seek knowledge and enlightenment through focused education on climate and related issues.
6. Seek awareness, connection and impassioned action.

We have known the hope of promises made, the joy of promises kept and the bitterness of promises broken. We will keep on doing the work. We will stand together with our communities as we always have. But now is the time for us to link intergenerational arms. Now is the time for your torch to burn bright, Generation Next.

Together, we must press on!