|
Volume 4 - August 2020
Racial Equity and Environmental Justice
For many of us, access to clean water, safe recreation spaces and a career in natural resources are things we take for granted. In this month’s edition of the Reader, we’re highlighting research that demonstrates how many do not have that luxury. The articles below highlight how certain segments of our population are perceived as caring less about environmental issues and are therefore left out of planning and policy considerations. How racial and ethnic minorities are just as interested in environmental careers as their white counterparts, though make up a very small percentage of the workforce. How a number of different barriers need to be overcome for minority groups to feel welcomed and safe recreating in our public spaces. And how climate change vulnerability is largely determined by social and economic factors, not exposure to climate‐related hazards. If these articles inspire you to dig deeper, here are links to a radio piece and short web article both with the theme of making the outdoors more inclusive.
The Minnesota Research Reader is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service that is intended to provide a quick look at emerging research relevant to our work in the State of Minnesota. Thank you for taking the time to consider the implications of the research presented in this edition of the Reader.
This study by Dorceta E. Taylor, published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, looks at why minority students make up a small percentage of people employed, despite their interest in careers with environmental organizations. This study finds that minority students are interested in working for environmental organizations that provide upward mobility opportunities and that engage in the issue of diversity seriously. One size fits all diversity programming is not effective at capturing the different interests of potential minority employees, and employers need to diversify and alter their messaging to attract these different groups. This piece on being a person of color and working in a natural resource field adds further context to the issues presented here.
Management Implications:
- Regardless of race, students seeking environmental careers expect those organizations to be places that engage the issue of diversity seriously.
- Students want to work in environmental organizations but will take the state of diversity in those organizations into consideration when they are deciding where to work.
- Environmental organizations should acquaint themselves with the nuances of how various aspects of diversity appeal to different groups and adjust their programming, outreach and recruitment efforts accordingly.
- Hiring is only part of the story. Environmental organizations should invest in mentoring opportunities and leadership training and should seek meaningful engagement with diversity issues in their workplaces to retain diverse staff.
|
This study by Adam R. Pearson, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examines how, despite reporting high levels of environmental concern, racial and ethnic minorities and low-income groups are perceived as least concerned by large segments of the U.S. public. These types of misperceptions may influence which groups’ perspectives get prioritized and, more generally, contribute to the historical marginalization of minority and lower-income populations in environmental advocacy and policy making. These findings support a need for broadening public engagement with environmental initiatives, particularly among populations most vulnerable to negative environmental impacts.
Management Implications:
- There is conclusive evidence that environmental problems disproportionately threaten racial and ethnic minority and low-income communities.
- Americans of all backgrounds routinely underestimate the environmental concerns of minority and low-income Americans.
- These stereotypes can potentially be overcome by exposure to more racially diverse environmental organizations.
- False beliefs about the environmental concerns of vulnerable Americans can influence who is invited to participate in environmental decision-making.
|
This study from Illinois, authored by Leslie Nicole Camarillo and published in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, documented concerns of several racial and ethnic minority groups related to recreation use in a park district. Diverse park users and non-users expressed concerns and identified barriers that kept them from participating in park programs and activities, including lack of awareness, cost, transportation, language barriers, fear of crime in the community and at park facilities, and racial and ethnic tensions within the community. Based on the study’s findings, the park district made a number of changes to their marketing efforts, with examples provided that could be useful in Minnesota. The authors recommend including a “people” dimension into traditional marketing approaches that recognize the diverse constituent groups and their distinct needs. For more local context, check out two qualitative studies from Metropolitan Council about park use among communities of color and youth in the Twin Cities region: The report on Park Use Among Communities of Color and this upcoming report with strategies to create a youth connection with the outdoors.
Management Implications:
- A municipal park district was able to directly engage diverse communities, implement changes to their marketing and outreach approaches, and host a set of culturally-relevant programs and events in less than a year.
- The “people” dimension of marketing should include both supporting a diverse staff and considering the needs of diverse groups within the community.
- When creating marketing and outreach programs, start by identifying how programs and services can address a community’s unique needs. In other words, “what’s in it for them?”
- Taking activities directly to the most disadvantaged communities to build trust and making park facilities a safe and welcoming place for all are two critical steps that require resources and a genuine commitment to change.
|
This study by Kimberly Thomas, published in WIREs Climate Change, found that populations are not uniformly vulnerable to climate change and the reasons for vulnerability are largely social and economic. It identifies factors responsible for these differences and suggests actions for reducing vulnerability. Of particular interest to Minnesotans, one of the highlighted case studies focuses on the “Ready and Resilient” project in St. Paul and others highlight the importance of incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into decision-making. For further reading on this topic, check out this interview with activist Elizabeth Yeampierre on inequality and climate change.
Management Implications:
- Populations are not uniformly vulnerable to climate change and we must recognize the reasons for vulnerability are largely social and economic, not merely a matter of different exposure to climate‐related and environmental hazards.
- Addressing unequal access to resources is a critical way to help communities plan and respond to the impacts of climate change. This requires community action and larger‐scale structural change to reduce poverty and political marginalization.
- The successful examples of environmental governance demonstrate the benefits of partnerships among government agencies, social movements and community organizations. Valid and timely information about weather and climate are necessary but not sufficient to promote effective action at a community scale.
- An iterative process in which researchers and community residents jointly shape the availability, dissemination and use of knowledge increases the likelihood that information will meaningfully contribute to adaptive responses to climate change.
|
|
