Climate change is a global issue that will affect everybody on planet earth. But the impacts of the climate crisis will not be felt equally throughout the planet.  Developing nations are much more vulnerable to climate disasters than richer nations even though countries like the U.S, China, and the E.U emit much more carbon and greenhouse gasses. Essentially, these struggling nations will be paying a much higher price for the mistakes of our wealthy, industrialized nations. Unless a global effort is made to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and give help and support to the people who need the resources most, there may be a mass migration of climate refugees and the destruction of economies, livelihoods, and human lives.

                                     The global inequities of climate change cannot be overlooked but nor should the inequities in our domestic economic and disaster relief systems.  There have been many studies and maps showing that in U.S cities, poor communities are much hotter in degrees than richer neighborhoods. This is usually due to things like more trees in affluent neighborhoods, less concrete, and more parks and greens spaces in these more privileged communities. The people living in these communities are usually predominantly black or brown. In natural disasters like hurricanes or floods, BIPOC communities are hit the hardest because the structures and systems in place are not as efficient and because these communities are built in more at-risk areas for these disasters. Every human depends on the environment but the corporations destroying our earth are profiting from the depletion of our natural resources and we are giving them no incentive to stop. These massive companies are collecting wealth in the hands of the upper class while paying workers minimum wage and for the most part, are the people creating the climate crisis.  These systemic inequities and the deep institutional racism in the U.S will be represented in the impact of climate change.

                 People with less wealth have much fewer resources to be proactive about the climate crisis. For example, buying organic food is quite a bit more expensive than buying processed food. They are also less likely to be able to move away from high-risk areas. As more towns and cities move towards renewable energy, poor communities are left behind. The air quality in black and lower-income neighborhoods is usually much worse than in other neighborhoods. These communities often have less adequate healthcare services which means that people with problems like asthma or heat strokes may not get all the care they need. More and more people are fleeing and becoming climate migrants, moving from sea level rise, wildfires, or hurricanes. But many people do not have the resources or income to move away.

              This raises the question of reparations. The government could give out hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars to these people who have been underserved and need help to move out of very dangerous areas.  And these crises are not just in the future. They are here and now.  

                The Inuit people of the arctic and sub-arctic are losing their land that has been their home for generation upon generation. "I'm worried. I'm worried for my future, the future generation” is what Ludy Pudluck, who lives in the town of Resolute says.  Their way of life is threatened and the wealth gap between Indigenous people and the white population is making it hard for tribal nations to move to safer places. Some of these Inuit villages are flooded regularly and the food supply is low because of seals, caribou, and other arctic animals that are dwindling under the rapidly warming temperatures.  In the arctic circle, temperatures are rising much faster than the rest of the world and the stories of the Inuit are warnings for what may come in the U.S or elsewhere.  

                  For decades, the environmental movement has ignored racial justice and not made space for environmentalists of color in the community.  But climate justice is racial justice and we need to join these movements together because we are stronger united. On both issues, we have to make big changes fast.  As the richest and most resourced country in the world, the U.S should be at the forefront of green technology and the provider of help to people in need. Instead, we are far behind in reducing our carbon footprint and we are still struggling with the rooted racial and class divisions in our society. As the largest, per capita carbon emitter in the world, we need to acknowledge our part in creating the massive humanitarian and environmental crises in the world.  We need to give reparations and help to protect everybody equally from the biggest emergency facing the globe today.  This is a time for urgency and action. We need to make change. 

          Trust and community are some of the most crucial things when it comes to making sure everybody is ready to face climate change.  I am writing this essay as a white person who doesn't have the same experiences of this country as many people of color do. I do not believe it would be right to impose my will on communities of color and tell them how they should live their lives. It is essential that the people who are part of these communities and have the trust of these communities are the ones educating people about climate change and how to reduce their impact on the environment.  We need to be inclusive and have everybody represented in the environmental movement.  Everybody needs to have a say in how we move forward and fight for climate justice.