We can’t fight the climate crisis and other major environmental challenges without confronting systemic racism, and acknowledging the disproportionate impacts felt by marginalized communities. With these important issues coming to the forefront around the world, it is critical to discuss the reality of environmental injustices that are happening right here in BC and Canada.

Check out some of the resources below to learn more about environmental racism and environmental justice in Canada and abroad. 

Read

• Violence on the Land, Violence on Our Bodies: Building an Indigenous Response to Environmental Violence 
  Partnership of Women’s Earth Alliance and Native Youth Sexual Health Network 
   
• Environmental Racism in Canada
  Report prepared for the Canadian Commission for UNESCO by Ingrid Waldron
   
• Braiding Legal Orders: Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  Edited by Oonagh E. Fitzgerald, John Borrows, Larry Chartrand, Lisa Schwartz

• The Intersection of Gender, Race, + Environmental/Climate Justice
  Recommended reading from Women's Earth Alliance
   
• The Colonization of Reconciliation 
  Article by Fred Guerin 
   
• Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing
  From Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Jemez, New Mexico (1996)
   
• There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities 
  By Ingrid Waldron
   
• Environmental Activism on the Ground: Small Green and Indigenous Organizing
  Edited by Jonathan Clapperton and Liza Piper

Watch

• There’s Something in the Water
  Netflix documentary based on Ingrid Waldron’s book of the same title
   
• The Intersection of Race and the Environment
  Panel discussion featuring three UC Berkeley Scholars
   
• Webinar: Working Toward Environmental Justice
  West Coast Environmental Law webinar (August 2020)

Follow

• West Coast Environmental Law – www.wcel.org
• Heiltsuk Tribal Council – http://www.heiltsuknation.ca/
• National Association of Japanese Canadians – http://najc.ca/
• RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs) – https://raventrust.com/
• Environmental Justice Research Project (UOttawa) – https://environmentaljustice.ca/
• Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project (ENRICH) – https://www.enrichproject.org/
• Intersectional Environmentalist – https://www.intersectionalenvironmentalist.com/

Legal Support

West Coast offers free legal advice and support for communities, grassroots groups and individuals facing environmental challenges. 

• Legal Advice
  To speak to a lawyer about an environmental issue and discuss your legal options, contact us at legalaid@wcel.org or 604-684-7378 ext. 229 (Toll-free: 1-800-330-WCEL ext. 229)
   
• Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund (EDRF)
  Our EDRF legal aid fund provides grants for British Columbians to hire lawyers and experts at legal aid rates