Why Diverse Green Leadership Matters

Leaders must share the lived experience of communities most impacted by climate change

Though green organizations often tout the value of diversity, the “green ceiling” suggests otherwise. Research from Green 2.0 shows that, among surveyed companies, BIPOC professionals never exceed 16% of the workforce, despite making up 36% of the national population. Even worse, only 12% of green leaders are people of color – a figure that has hardly budged since the 2014 study that brought it to light.[1] Instead of dismantling the barriers keeping BIPOC workers from pursuing and maintaining green careers, gatekeeping has perpetuated the status quo.

As the sector works to address climate change, this is an increasingly troubling dynamic. Communities of color are the most heavily affected by climate-related disasters and yet they’re the least represented at the tables where decisions are made. How can leaders arrive at culturally relevant and effective environmental solutions if they have no connection to the populations with the most urgent concerns? Without a significant overhaul in the racial composition of green leadership, the sector’s well-intentioned climate mitigation and adaptation strategies will not only be ineffective but will also worsen disparities, keeping environmental justice and equity beyond reach.

Homogenous leadership lacks capacity for meaningful change

As a concept, diversity is in vogue, but research shows that minimizing or ignoring race as part of inequality prevails in the minds of Americans, especially when it comes to environmental issues. One 2020 study highlighted the pervasiveness of this colorblind environmental racism, in which individuals believe the only barriers to success are “personal choice, responsibility, and hard work.”[2] Such notions feed the myth that communities of color – and not biased systems, institutions, and policies – are responsible for their higher burden of environmental hazards.

It’s true that residents of poorer neighborhoods face higher exposure to pollutants, yet it’s not poverty itself that leads to increased risk. These communities exist adjacent to highways and industrial facilities – the result of segregation and zoning policies that restricted people of color to hazardous “fenceline communities.” And although practices like redlining seemingly have been abolished, the values of homes in these neighborhoods remain low, denying members of these communities the economic mobility necessary to move to cleaner areas. As a result, race is the biggest predictor of one’s proximity to environmental hazards,[3] and BIPOC residents experience a greater rate of health issues caused by pollutants. Any assessments of climate change, which place the blame on individual will and not the systems upholding inequality, willfully ignore the inextricable link between race, class, and environmental risk in underserved communities in this country.

This is why, without leaders who know this lived experience firsthand, organizations will continue to overlook the devastating historical and social factors plaguing marginalized communities in favor of more universal explanations. Environmental justice requires leaders who can design community-specific solutions and, in so doing, forge meaningful connections between the environmental sector and the people most in need of its resources.

Misguided environmental policies negatively impact communities in need

Many of our country’s environmental initiatives have directly contributed to the marginalization of BIPOC residents. For example, the creation of our national parks system came at the cost of further displacing the Indigenous peoples who lived within those territories. Meanwhile, the creation of New York’s Central Park involved the destruction of a prominent Black community with the use of eminent domain. In the end, these initiatives and countless others created spaces for the exclusive benefit of those who could afford to visit them, rather than solving the myriad problems facing marginalized groups who were already there.

But instances of misguided policies are not limited to the past, as demonstrated in our country’s handling of more recent natural disasters. When wildfires, hurricanes, or earthquakes strike, communities of color are often hit the hardest and experience the most barriers to recovery. Yet, they lack access to and do not receive most relief aid. A 2018 study found that White Americans who have experienced disaster-related property damage managed to accumulate more wealth than any other group.[4] Consequently, every time a region is devastated by geological or climate hazards, socioeconomic disparities worsen for communities of color.

Mitigating these risks will require brave, innovative leadership that can only come from a population with a very personal stake in the outcome – diverse youth who will bear the brunt of the adverse climate impacts in their communities. With the right resources and support infrastructure, these youth and young adults can become the green leaders we need. What's more, they can reorient the sector’s focuses toward justice and equity while accounting for cultural specificity and righting historical wrongs. The world is facing epic environmental, economic, and social equity crises, and we need an equally epic leadership response to ensure those most acutely affected are at the forefront of change.

About MobilizeGreen

MobilizeGreen is committed to bringing about change so young people of color can solve the challenges faced by their communities and create a more just and equitable planet for all. In order to address the “diversity leadership gap” in green, MobilizeGreen is on a mission to help develop young people of color into future environmental and green sector leaders. By eliminating barriers and providing access to career opportunities, MobilizeGreen connects emerging professionals to the hands-on work experience, soft skills training, and professional development needed to successfully launch their careers. Through this strategy, we believe underrepresented youth and communities of color will be equipped to tackle climate change and other environmental issues head-on, promoting a sustainable future for their communities.

[1]. Taylor, Dorceta. (July 2014). The state of diversity in environmental organizations. Retrieved from: https://diversegreen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/FullReport_Green2.0_FINAL.pdf

[2]. Budgen, Dylan. (July 29, 2020). Environmental inequality in the American mind: the problem of color-blind environmental racism. Retrieved from: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/hg69c/

[3]. Covert, Bryce. (February 18, 2016). Race best predicts whether you live near pollution. Retrieved from: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/race-best-predicts-whether-you-live-near-pollution/

[4]. Howell, Junia. (December 4, 2018). As disaster costs rise, so does inequality. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2378023118816795