Groundbreaking Climate Change Project focused on Black communities in five locations in the GTHA

BY PAUL JUNOR

“A Matter of Justice: Climate Change in Black Communities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” will be held on Wednesday, October 23^rd, 2024, at McMaster Continuing Education Centre in Hamilton, and Tuesday, October 29^th, 2024, at Cecil Community Centre in downtown Toronto near the intersection of College St. and St. George St. The screening is based on the final report titled, “Equity in Action: Building Climate Resilience in Black Communities.”

The ENRICH Project was financially supported by the McConnell Foundation and Catherine Donnelly Foundation. In addition, there were two grant partners: Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), and Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) who played a critical role. Through the efforts of individuals associated with these partners: workshops were arranged, community outreach was facilitated, participants were enrolled, and spaces were created to ensure sharing of expertise, resources, and knowledge.

The results of The ENRICH Project were published on June 30^th, 2024, Dr. Ingrid

Waldron was the director of the project. The executive summary is to build on the expertise and lived experiences within Black communities to increase awareness about the unique impacts of climate change on Black communities and how to support specific community needs and priorities in the face of climate crises. Workshops were held in five areas in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA): Scarborough, Brampton, North York; Central Toronto and Hamilton.

The objectives of the project are to:

• Support capacity-building and collective resilience through hands-on workshops in five areas in the GTHA.
• Increase the involvement of Black communities in discussions around climate and environmental action.
• Identify and support specific community needs and priorities in facing climate crises.
• Connect community members with each other, Black community spaces, Black-led organizations, local environmental and climate justice organizations, and climate change experts to maintain community engagement and organization beyond the project.

The Climate Justice Framework was utilized to analyze results of workshops. There are four aspects:

• Social, economic, environmental and climate injustices are interconnected.
• Different kinds of identities overlap to impact experiences of not only oppression, but climate change.
• Climate change has unequal impacts that can increase pre-existing inequities and injustices experienced by marginalized communities.
• Climate justice advocates for equitable action that prioritizes the needs and rights of communities disproportionately impacted by climate change.

This project in many ways was groundbreaking as it was the first of its kind that focused on Black communities in five locations in the GTHA (two of which were in Hamilton). The workshops were held from October 2023 to February 2024 averaging about twenty participants each. There was a neighborhood role-playing game called, “Resilientville Canada” which enabled participants to be introduced to hypothetical scenarios that call upon them to respond to ensure that the safety and security of each one is maintained.

The following were five themes that the project findings were organized under:

• Awareness of Climate Change
• Climate Change Impacts on Communities
• Experiences Based on Income, Race, Disability, and Gender
• Solutions to Combat Climate Change in Communities
• Unsustainable City Planning Practices and Procedures

There were five practical recommendations they include:

• Allocate disaster relief funds toward infrastructure designed to address future climate disasters and promote community resilience.
• Encourage investments in affordable, accessible, and locally controlled climate resilient infrastructure.
• Establish and fund resiliency hubs within trusted community entities like schools, libraries, clinics, youth centers, or places of worship.
• Create resources to provide emergency aid to areas impacted by disasters, particularly for land and watersheds.
• Involve communities in planning and decision-making processes, ensuring that the most vulnerable and disadvantaged are included.

There were four recommendations presented for policy makers such as:

• Plan more inclusive and targeted outreach to Black communities (including newcomers) about climate change impacts and solutions.
• Work towards more sustainable, inclusive, and accessible urban planning.
• Offer green solutions that prioritize affordability, accessibility, and economic empowerment.
• Engage local communities in city plans for extreme weather emergencies.

The next steps of the project focus on dissemination and engagement. It will involve the following:

• Sharing of the final report with multiple stakeholders.
• A policy brief is in the works to make sure that community voices are heard by decision makers and reflected in policy and climate initiatives.

There will be the formation of partnerships and engagement initiatives. This will ensure that:

• The project intends to expand on the community relationship-building it began with the workshops and partner with additional organizations to strengthen the network of resources community members have access to.
• The project will collaborate with partners to support the development of community resilience plans.

At the community screening, there will be a time for community connection and engaging conversation. There will be a project presentation by Dr. Ingrid Waldron followed by a Q & A session with the audience.