Environmental Justice: Taking Stock of Justice40
A virtual event exploring the implementation of Justice40, the US federal government's largest environmental justice initiative
Event Details
In recent years, several policies—including the Biden Administration’s 2021 Executive Order, Tackling Climate Risks at Home and Abroad—have placed justice front and center in the development of federal climate strategies, with Justice40 serving as the guiding implementation principle. The federal government’s Justice40 goal is to ensure at least 40 percent of the benefits from federal climate investments accrue to disadvantaged communities.
On Wednesday, March 6 Resources for the Future (RFF) hosted the first event in our new Exposure event series. At this event, our panel of experts and community leaders examined what’s happened since our 2021–2022 Exposure series, how the Justice40 Initiative priorities have been implemented across federal programs, and RFF’s work in measuring the initiative’s impact.
Speakers:
- Monisha Shah, Executive Office of the President of the United States
- Matthew Tejada, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Randy Welch, Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project
- Margaret Walls, Resources for the Future (Moderator)
Want to learn more about Justice40?
Click here to view RFF's latest report on Justice40's implementation across the federal government. The report assesses the program's challenges and opportunities and tracks progress across 445 programs.
Event Video
About the Exposure 2024 Series
The Environmental Justice Movement has been a part of community conversations for decades and has finally become a focus of national policy. For many low-income neighborhoods, households of color, tribal communities, and other marginalized groups, environmental injustice compounds a legacy of social, economic, and political disenfranchisement.
In 2021–2022, Resources for the Future (RFF) and the Urban Institute hosted a series of webinars known as Exposure, to bring academic, government, and community leaders together to assess environmental justice research across disciplines while exploring gaps in knowledge. In 2024, RFF is holding a second installment where we will take a deep dive into the equity and environmental justice impacts of federal climate policies, particularly in light of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and novel state policies that reflects Justice40 Initiative priorities.
Participants
Monisha Shah
Deputy Director for Justice40 and Environmental Justice Innovation, Executive Office of the President of the United States
