Adrien Salazar
Adrien Salazar is a climate justice advocate fighting for transformative and equitable climate policy solutions, food and land justice, and environmental justice. He is a Senior Campaign Strategist at Dēmos, where he advances climate change policy that centers racial and economic equity. As a Steering Committee member of the NY Renews Coalition he helped win the passage of the 2019 New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. He serves on the boards of the Sustainable Economies Law Center and the Filipino American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity. He is also a Senior Fellow with Data For Progress. He enjoys running, tending plants, and honoring the sacred places of the earth.
Presentations from Facing Race 2020
Climate Justice Now! Winning a Just and Equitable Green New Deal
This year, climate chaos of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and heatwaves have rolled throughout the country, compounding with overlapping crises of COVID-19 pandemic, economic collapse, and chronic racial inequality. These crises have cast a light on deep inequality -- low-income communities and communities of color are most impacted by these crises because of historic discrimination and disinvestment. Solutions to the acute crises of our moment, and the long-term climate crisis must center racial and economic justice. The Green New Deal proposes a roadmap to address these intersecting crises. A bold, equitable economic recovery could pave the way by creating millions of good green jobs. But equity in our policy solutions is not guaranteed – we must fight for it.
Communities of color have been organizing for environmental justice against the twin threats of pollution and racism for decades. Today allies across environmental, labor, racial justice, and youth movements are banding together to advance a vision for what is needed for communities to thrive in the face of catastrophe. From local and regional policy victories won by powerful coalitions, to a plan for a national economic recovery, the climate justice movement is embedding racial equity into climate solutions. In this workshop learn how multi-sectoral coalitions at the state and national level are designing equitable climate policy, building power, and winning. Bring your experience and challenges you face in organizing for climate justice policy, to contribute to shared learning and visioning on how a Green New Deal can repair historic inequities and uplift all communities.
Speakers: Adrien Salazar, Rhiana Gunn-Wright