Most people in the UK are aware of the urgent need to tackle climate change and other environmental challenges. Whilst they want to be part of the solution, many recognise that individual behaviours, such as recycling or ditching the car for short journeys, alone are insufficient. We need systemic, society-wide change, in the form of fair climate policies and strong leadership, that puts people at the centre of climate action.
what we do
Climate change and environmental issues (including pollution) affect all societies. What most people don’t realise is that ethnic minorities in the UK are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts. With the UK climate sector - and climate opinion data - being very unrepresentative in terms of ethnic diversity – there is a paucity of research around their experience of and engagement with climate change and environmental issues.
Astonishingly, the first dedicated exploration of the views and perspectives of British people of colour on climate change through a large-scale survey, was conducted in 2023 by a team led by Dr Charles Ogunbode at the University of Nottingham. This led to the Spotlight report, published in 2023, that highlighted an “uneven and often unjust distribution of attention and prestige in the environmental sector” that often bypasses people of colour-led community groups.
The report showed how many ethnic minorities simply feel that these issues have nothing to do with them, their lives or immediate priorities. Therefore, researchers find it hard to get Black and Asian people who are not already involved in environmental activism to answer questions or participate in research - so their voices continue to be unheard and their experiences neglected in wider climate change discourse.
AiCC is working with ethnic minority communities to engage them in research, climate action and environmental issues - particularly as they relate to their physical and mental wellbeing.
See the gallery for photos of our collaborative work within CLIMATE ACTION & THE ENVIRONMENT
Would you like to partner with us in finding creative solutions to challenges in this area? Simply send us a message HERE for more information.
Gallery
Environmental research project for non-climate identifying BAME people, with University of Nottingham
Interview with THRIVE LDN’s Climate, Environment, and Mental Health Action Forum