Earth Is For All Of Us. Let’s Support Actions That Prove It
We do everything we can to protect our loved ones from harm, but forces beyond our control —shaped by industries, weak environmental policies , and absent leadership — take the greatest toll on marginalized people. Our planet’s changing climate often leaves Black and Brown women, working people, nonbinary people of color, and lower-income households burdened by adverse health outcomes, higher energy bills, and detrimental working conditions. This Earth Day, we are reminded that the climate crisis requires collective action and year-round advocacy.
Black women, who already experience barriers to maternal health, are most at risk for pregnancy complications driven by climate change. Extreme heat makes it harder for people to work. Families have lost their homes in floods, and utility bills continue to rise at a time when families need electricity most. Climate change is widening both the wealth gap and health disparities. Meanwhile, we are constantly being reminded that the Earth needs healing. Most recently, we learned the Earth was “out of balance.” The alarms have been ringing for a long time.
Confronting the climate crisis is a collective responsibility. It takes us all to protect the planet. However, the onus cannot be placed solely on individuals who are striving to work and care for our families daily. There is an urgent need to hold accountable those whose unethical practices harm the environment most. Billionaires, corporations and elected officials often tell us to change our habits while they continue polluting the air, water and soil. Yes, we can recycle, plant trees, drive less and buy sustainable products, but that’s not enough. Our individual actions must be paired with eco-friendly business practices and proactive policies from lawmakers.
But they won’t do it willingly. We must apply pressure. We send a message by buying fewer items from corporations that seek profit over people; and instead, support local family-run businesses. We must also demand better conditions for workers, as we all rely on a stable climate to do our jobs.
Every election cycle, we can cast our ballots for civic leaders who have a clear plan to reduce harm to the environment, and for those who pledge to hold polluters accountable. For example, it is constituents’ responsibility to oppose data centers that drain local resources.
In Georgia, policymakers have the power to scrutinize the Public Service Commission and protect constituents from the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and skyrocketing energy bills. Many people are doing that work now.
For instance, communities affected by massive artificial intelligence data centers, including our fellow organizers at 9to5 in Georgia, are taking collective action. They are reiterating that we are deserving of clean water and fresh air, not supercomputers. We will not continue to foot the bill and live with the pollution they produce. Instead, we advocate for a just and equitable Georgia Public Service Commission. In addition, proposals for a Georgia Environmental Justice Commission could build the power to dismantle systemic barriers for communities who have faced historical harm. We must make people in power understand the gravity of this action.
In Colorado, we want civic leaders to implement rental energy efficiency standards and monitor water quality of mobile home parks to decrease energy bills and keep families healthy. Elected officials must be reminded that they work for us.
Solutions are possible when we mobilize our communities to rally for clean drinking water, clean air and neighborhoods free from pollution. No one should be subjected to the effects of a climate crisis — no matter who we are, where we live, or our socioeconomic status. For working women and nonbinary people who need access to health care, paid leave and a clean environment while struggling to pay energy bills, it’s all connected. It’s all one fight.
Together we have the power to sustain this fight. As we grow in that power, we must commit to demand more from our civic leaders, utility companies and other corporate entities. With these efforts, we prioritize climate justice and by extension, our lives. This Earth is for all of us; it is our shared duty to safeguard it so that our families may flourish.
Ashley Panelli and Mica Whitfield are co-executive directors and CEOs of 9to5, National Association of Working Women. 9to5 is an organization fighting for economic justice for those most harmed by centuries of racism and sexism: women and nonbinary people of color.
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