Environmental Justice and Equity Implementation Committee
The vision for Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan is to implement just and equitable solutions to reduce the city’s emissions contributing to global climate change and prepare for the local impacts of increasing temperatures and precipitation. In Bethlehem and across the world, low-income populations and black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have contributed the least to the problem of climate change but are already bearing the brunt of its impacts, including extreme heat and flooding. The disproportionate exposure of these frontline communities to climate-related harms is only projected to increase as global temperatures rise. In this way, every failure to act quickly and decisively on climate is an environmental justice issue.
The Environmental Justice and Equity Implementation Committee meets with the ideas and goals from this section in mind.
Phases
Identify Year 3 Goals
Year 3 Goals Include:
- Environmental Justice Steering Committee will incorporate feedback from neighborhood meetings and conduct additional engagement and research to create a framework of principles for advancing equity and justice in Bethlehem (EJ 1.2) which will guide the work of a future Climate and Environmental Justice Council.
- Create a Climate Action Plan Apprentice Program (EJ 2.3)
- We will connect with BASD, Bethlehem Area Vocational School, Moravian University, and Northampton Community College to identify vocational and internship opportunities to advance the work of Environmental Justice and Climate Action Plan initiatives.
- Partner with Lehigh University and other organizations to train graduate students “to create an equitable, decarbonized energy future” through the SEED-EF NRT Program
- Continue to maintain and increase community green spaces, including native plants and trees, to combat local pollution.
- Intentionally work with Bethlehem Backyards for Wildlife to expand native planting.
- Plant additional trees in parks through our forester.
