An official website of the Environmental justice assessments and commitments
Environmental justice-related benchmarks and metrics must be established, documented, and publicly reported. Commitments identified in the Climate Action Work Plan helped set a foundation for actualizing environmental justice work in Imagine 2050. The climate work plan makes regional commitments to improving health, supporting community values, organizational accountability, implementing strategies for climate adaptation, land stewardship and improving access to resources for overburdened communities.
These commitments will serve as assessment criteria for evaluating plans, policies, and procedures with an environmental justice lens. To realize environmental justice goals at the implementation level, Met Council evaluation processes will identify local concerns (contextualized), build on local priorities (community-centered), and add benefits beyond harms (reparative) in a project cost-benefit process.
Commitments
- The Met Council commits to improving mental and physical health outcomes through our planning and project work for historically and presently overburdened communities, which include low-income communities, Black, American Indian, and communities of color, disabled, aging, and immigrant and refugee communities.
- We will uphold and advance the fundamental human and nonhuman right to clean, healthy and adequate air, water, land, transportation, and housing.
- We will advance economic justice so that overburdened communities are prioritized in the benefits of our plans and projects and are protected from any potential negative consequences.
- We commit to elevating the voices of overburdened communities by strengthening resources and respecting the abilities that overburdened communities have to survive, adapt, and thrive.
- We will deliberately and respectfully honor cultural relevance and history to maintain cultural heritage from the past and present for the benefit of all generations, paying particular attention to self-told narratives from Black, American Indian, and communities of color.
- We commit to being accountable for our actions and to listen and learn from overburdened communities and support their capacity to partner with government agencies.
- We commit to promoting climate strategies that enhance the ability of overburdened communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
- We will evaluate and integrate cumulative impacts on communities that are affected by multiple ongoing climate and health-related issues into decision making.
- We commit to advancing strategies that ensure holistic land stewardship, and to respect the inherent value of the natural world as well as the land’s role in nourishing the human community.
- We commit to supporting access to jobs, housing, transportation, funding, education, healthy foods, and a clean environment for overburdened communities.
- We commit to removing barriers that prevent overburdened communities from accessing services and meaningful involvement through infrastructure, policy, and investments.
