Advancing Climate Justice in California: Guiding Principles and Recommendations for Policy and Funding Decisions

Several environmental justice, public health and climate equity organizations in California convened to create a Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG). The working group provided recommendations to the state related to environmental justice and climate equity, as it updated the Safeguarding California climate adaptation plan earlier this year.

CJWG developed social justice recommendations for state adaptation and resilience priorities related to the 2014 Safeguarding CA Implementation Action Plans of the following sectors: Agriculture, Biodiversity and Habitat, Emergency Management, Energy, Forestry, Land Use and Community Development, Oceans and Coastal Resources, Public Health, Transportation, and Water.

Each of these sector’s Implementation Action Plans are discussed independently in the report. A thorough analysis describes what issues and programs included in each action plan address the needs of communities most vulnerable to climate change; what issues and programs are missing; and what the principal challenges to implementation of such issues and programs may be.