Climate Justice
Frontline communities bear the brunt of health, economic and ecological impacts as a result of climate change. Let's demand climate justice!
What we are doing
We are engaging with allies and communities most impacted by the hardships of a changing climate. Together we strive to ensure a regenerative economy with full access to renewable energy, clean air and water, valued jobs and healthy living environments.
Projects
Gas Station Moratorium
Beyond Toxics advocates for a ban on the construction of new gas stations in Eugene. Existing gas stations pose a threat to human and environmental health and undermine state and local efforts to reduce fossil fuels. Building new gas stations is simply not necessary. Every Eugene resident can already reach one of the city’s 56 gas stations in a five-minute drive or less. Learn more
Resources:
Read the Beyond Toxics report, Beneath The Pump: The Threat of Petroleum Contamination (PDF)
Read related blog, "Pump to Progress: Ending the Legacy of Gas Station Contamination" by Nate Wilson, Beyond Toxics LUST/UST Data Analysis Intern
Bethel Clean Energy Project
The Bethel Clean Energy Project is an innovative pilot initiative that focuses on making clean energy technologies accessible to Bethel residents. Our mission is to collaborate directly with neighborhood residents, to research and identify the best options for implementing free or low-cost clean energy home improvements! Learn more. Learn more
Our current projects:
Beyond Toxics is sounding the alarm about the urgent health risks associated with the use of gas stoves in your home. | ALSO: Read more about our Bethel Clean Energy Project
Read the Beyond Toxics Report, Seeing is Believing: Visualizing Indoor Air Pollution from Gas Stoves (PDF)
In Defense of the Climate Protection Program
In December 2021, Oregon took one of its biggest steps ever toward reducing climate pollution and delivering a stable climate for the future. Last fall, a consortium of fossil fuel and industrial polluter corporations filed a lawsuit to kill this precedent-setting climate action program! On September 7, 2022, a coalition of environmental justice, climate, and business organizations filed a legal intervention to defend Oregon’s landmark Climate Protection Program against attempted oil and gas industry rollbacks. Learn more
Read the September 7th, 2022 Press Release (PDF)
CPP Defense Coalition Motion To Intervene (PDF)
Read the January 12th, 2023 Press Release (PDF)
Lane Climate Equity and Resilience Task Force
VICTORY! The Lane County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt the Community Climate Resilience Plan!
For the past two years, we worked with the Lane County Climate Equity & Resilience Task Force to bring local communities into the planning process of the Lane County Community Climate Resilience Plan. On Tuesday, Dec. 13th the Board of Commissioners officially voted “YES” to adopt the plan! We are excited about the HUGE advancement Lane County made on climate resilience!
Beyond Toxics joined with NAACP to coordinate public participation in this new initiative in Lane County, Oregon. Supporting Partners: Lane County Public Works Department and GEOS Institute. Learn more
Environmental Justice Pathways Summit
The first Environmental Justice Pathways Summit at the University of Oregon was originally scheduled for April of 2020. We made the decision to postpone the EJP Summit to Spring of 2021. To help our community members stay engaged in the movement to achieve environmental justice, we developed the EJP Webinar Series, focusing on the Historical Intersections of Race, Economy, and Environment in Oregon. These webinars prioritized the most pressing Environmental Justice concerns impacting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, Native American communities, and Latinx communities in Oregon. The webinar series also highlighted ways to engage and collaborate on solutions to Oregon’s environmental justice issues. Learn more
ALSO: Read "Organizing for Environmental Justice" by Haley Case-Scott, former Climate Justice Grassroots Organizer and Environmental Justice Pathways Webinar Coordinator
Oregon Just Transition Alliance
We have partnered with OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Pineros y Campesinos el Noroeste (PCUN), Rural Organizing Project, and Unite Oregon to form this coalition. Learn more
all of us together, to demand changes.”
Further Reading
Read the latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), "Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability."
Interview with Haley Case-Scott about the efforts of the Lane Climate Equity and Resilience Task Force on Jefferson Public Radio (9/29/21)
Governor Brown signs executive order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI)
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