By Sylvia Chi After the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was enacted in August 2022, our analysis found that many supporters’ claims about how it would advance environmental and climate justice were overstated. Because Congress was only able to pass the IRA through the use of a special procedure called “reconciliation,
By Angel Bautista What is Environmental Justice? Why is it important to center the voices and experiences of Frontline communities when advocating for climate solutions? What role do communications professionals play in telling the environmental justice story? Our movement needs effective communicators who can convey environmental justice priorities in impactful
By Zully Juarez “The Road to Equity: Concerns and Analysis of RUC Pricing Mechanisms” Policy Brief: Completed for community-based advocates, in partnership with state environmental justice organizations. You can view and download the full brief here. In “The Road to Equity: Concerns and Analysis of RUC Pricing Mechanisms,” a
By Arjun Makhijani, PhD. Focusing on methane and natural processes to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations In my first blog post of this series, I had noted that we need to do more than eliminate greenhouse gas emissions to keep the temperature lid at 1.5°C. This is because decarbonizing
By Sylvia Chi The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August, marked the biggest climate action ever passed by Congress, with tax incentives accounting for the majority of the bill’s spending commitments. Totaling an estimated $270 billion in tax expenditures over the next decade, the energy tax credits are expected
By Zully Juarez On September 18, 2022, Hurricane Fiona hit and flooded Puerto Rico, leaving millions without power. It has been three weeks and more than 30,000 people still find themselves without power2. Hurricane Fiona comes just five years after Hurricane Maria caused a blackout throughout the island, lasting
By Sylvia Chi The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), lauded as the biggest climate change legislation in the history of the United States, passed the U.S. Senate on August 7, 2022 and was signed into law by President Biden on August 16. Just Solutions completed a detailed analysis of the
By Tayler Ward This summer, Just Solutions Collective launched phase 1 of the Environmental Justice Community and Policy Landscape Project to better understand the interests and needs of leaders. This project aligns with our purpose to broaden and deepen the understanding of equitable and effective policies and projects to build
By Zully Juarez This summer, the Biden-Harris Administration announced six new actions to lower electricity bills for working families, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The administration aims to accomplish this by lowering electricity costs and create clean energy jobs, including: 1. Connecting families to low-cost solar power
By Sylvia Chi On June 30, the last day of its 2022 term, the United States Supreme Court released its much-anticipated decision in West Virginia v. EPA, the high-profile federal climate change case. West Virginia was the finale of an extraordinary term marked by momentous decisions overturning longstanding
By Zully Juarez I hope that our health isn't determined by our zip code, race, ethnicity, income, and other identities. I am hoping that one day we can have healthier communities. Wendy Miranda, a community leader with Communities for a Better Environment and Wilmington, CA resident At Just
By Arjun Makhijani, PhD. Point-source carbon capture and sequestration: Also not the answer. In the first blog post of this series, I explored air capture of CO2 and found it unsuitable as a way to address mounting greenhouse gas concentrations due to cost as well as ecological considerations. In