DENVER (KDVR) — Recent research shows that of the local communities that suffer the effects of pollution, many are populated by minorities. The question is: Can government do anything about the inequity?
On Friday, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was in Denver to talk to Latino community members. The secretary highlighted investments from the Biden administration into communities of color, like money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was invested into institutions of color to help develop the next generation.
“We’ve invested this past year $100 million into MSIs — minority-serving institutions — and really focused on this clean energy workforce, right? We are creating right now this clean energy, industrial revolution. And we have to have the workforce to be able to do that,” Granholm said.
Clean energy has been a major focal point for state and local leaders lately. They stressed the importance that communities like those in Colorado do not continue to take the brunt of the negative impacts of the climate crisis.
Clean energy and a future with AI, quantum computing, space tech
Latino community leaders and state and local government welcomed Granholm to Denver. Community members stressed the need to include folks with firsthand experience of the negative impacts of pollution in conversations about how to solve the problem.
“I’d like to see more conversations like this happening, but also having actual lived experience at the table. We believe that lived experience is expertise,” said Rebecca Martinez with Conservation Colorado. “We do that through our Climate Justice Leadership Academy Program, where we are talking to folks that want to be at these tables, that deserve to be at these tables, that are experiencing the consequences of all of these harms.”
Sentiments of inclusion were echoed by the current and former secretary of energy, both of whom were in attendance.
“We need to make sure this new youth population — the Latino youth are the largest cohort in the United States, African American youth — we have to educate them to get involved in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, space technology, clean energy and the secretary talked about this today, so they are making investments there,” said Federico Peña, former Denver mayor and former U.S. energy secretary.
Leaders said that improving the environment is going to take major infrastructural change. They want to ensure communities of color have access to those jobs and clean energy resources.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings