Centuries of systematically racist American policy has pushed Black communities into enduring the worst impacts of fossil fuel pollution and climate change. In her new book, Before the Streetlights Come On: Black America’s Urgent Call for Climate Solutions, Heather McTeer Toney outlines how Black Americans experience these injustices - from extreme heat to petrochemical toxins and many more. But as we confront the long history of environmental racism, how do we empower the most impacted communities to lead on climate solutions? In this conversation, McTeer Toney puts forth a plan and an understanding of why we need to attack these injustices with the greatest sense of urgency.
Heather McTeer is the Executive Director of Bloomberg's Beyond Petrochemicals Campaign. She has also served as the mayor of Greenville, Mississippi and Southeast Regional EPA Administrator.
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