Climate Justice

After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, thousands of Puerto Ricans made their way to Eastern Pennsylvania, refugees of the way climate change has impacted the strength and frequency of hurricanes. Many other members of our immigrant community from Central and South America have also fled violence and climate catastrophes in their home countries. When they arrive here in PA they are not immune to the impacts of climate issues right in their backyards. From coal mining and fracking in rural areas to dangerous trains carrying liquified gas (named bomb trains by some groups) rolling through densly populated urban areas. Where and how we get our energy impacts many in PA. Changes to the climate are forecasted to bring more extreme heat (up to 50 more days with dangerous heat indexes over 100 degrees according to a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists) and flooding to vulnerable areas, putting many Black, Brown, and low-income community members at higher risk at being impacted by these changes. 

Make the Road PA sits at the union of the ways that climate issues are impacting our global community as well as our members locally. The climate justice movement has historically been mostly White and we are working hard as an organization to raise up the voices and perspectives of Black, Brown, and immigrant community members who are at the front lines of the climate crisis in PA and across the world. We have a climate justice committee that provides training and support for our members to understand the terminology and history of climate justice work in the United States and how their own experiences connect to that work. We are also pushing for policies that will reduce the harm done to Black, Brown, and immigrant communities by climate issues, that will reduce the impacts of climate change, and that will prepare community members for the changes that are already occurring.