Climate Justice Takes Center Stage in Keynote Dialogue

Diana “Dede” Devine, former executive director at Native American Connections, and John Moon, senior vice president sustainability philanthropy leader at Wells Fargo, at the LISC Phoenix annual celebration on Nov. 1.

Those active in the climate change battle and the related crisis of disproportional impact on our most vulnerable neighbors say we’re in a transformational moment. 

What we do now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage energy use will determine our success in reversing damage to the environment. The initiatives we launch and the resources we deploy for sustainability efforts require an intentional focus on low-income households and communities of color, who suffer inequitably from the financial and health stresses caused by climate change.

That was a key takeaway from a conversation on climate justice between Diana “Dede” Devine, former executive director at Native American Connections, and John Moon, senior vice president sustainability philanthropy leader at Wells Fargo, at the LISC Phoenix annual celebration on Nov. 1. “From Words to Action: Leveling Up Racial Equity while Tackling the Climate Crisis” was the keynote event of the breakfast in downtown Phoenix. 

“Climate change and environmental justice should be on everyone’s mind,” said Devine, who introduced the conversation by citing a local news report about the number of 2023 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County reaching nearly 500 people, during a year in which Phoenix recorded the hottest summer on record. That’s about 100 more heat-related deaths than in 2022. People of color and older citizens are disproportionately impacted.

Moon emphasized the unique impact energy has on “our life, our culture and society.” 

“Climate is a threat multiplier,” Moon said in describing how it compounds longstanding challenges to marginalized, low-income people and underserved communities. Economic stressors (increased utility costs), physical shocks (massive flooding or other kinds of extreme weather events), health impacts (high temperatures that triggers asthma and make it difficult to sleep; stress that is a trigger for other issues) all hamper the ability of low-income households to survive and thrive.  

“When we look at the economic disparities for low-income communities and communities of color, our current systems are perfectly equipped to produce our current outcomes,” Moon said. “So, when we think about the opportunity for transformation, with climate change, there’s a tremendous amount of opportunity. I think the federal government recognizes that.”

Moon discussed new opportunities to combat climate change in the federal pipeline to address them, including the White House Justice40 Initiative and the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that is included in the Inflation Reduction Act. 

The Justice40 Initiative requires that 40 percent of all government spending that’s related to climate go to low-income communities. Moon said the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will go to about a dozen entities that will disperse money. Of the $27 billion, $7 billion is dedicated to solar. Several awardees will help deliver access to solar energy for low-income communities. 

Moon said the remaining $20 billion is intended for nonprofits and financial intermediaries, such as community development financial institutions and green banks, to disperse money for various climate-related financing and needs. 

“It's incredibly exciting, but on the other hand there are some associated challenges with that,” Moon said. “We’ve got LISC, who is an applicant with a number of other groups, who hopefully will get an award and that way they’ll be able to tap their incredible network across the country to disperse a portion of that money to the communities that they serve.” 

One challenge is how do you build capacity to optimally deliver capital, Moon said. Some CDFIs, including LISC, have done climate-related funding, but the large majority have not, he said. 

“There’s incredible need to ramp up support of these financial intermediaries,” Moon said. “And, of course, on the transaction side, we need to build a strong pipeline of deals, especially intentionally focused on low-income communities. … Now is the time to make good on commitments to truly center those that have been marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by climate change.”

Doing climate justice the right way takes intentional effort, which often requires more time to build relationships with nonprofits and organizations that are well-connected to residents and neighborhoods, listen to communities and follow their lead, Moon said. 

The climate crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck mentality. 

“Every one of us from an individual, community and societal level need to contribute toward the solutions that we need around climate change,” Moon said.

“Climate is intersectional,” Moon said. “It’s not just about housing. It’s housing while working with utilities. It’s housing working with utilities and transportation. It’s housing working with utilities, transportation and local government.”

Thank You to Our Sponsors

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Arizona Department of Housing | Arkos Health | Bell Bank | Northern Trust | Phoenix IDA | U.S. Bank | Vitalyst Health Foundation

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Bank of America | Dudley Ventures | Enterprise Bank and Trust | Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco | FirstBank | Friends of Transit | Gorman & Company, Inc. | National Bank of Arizona | Sunbelt Holdings