Clean Energy Group Statement on the Nationwide Movement Against Racism

Clean Energy Group stands in solidarity with the national movement to fight racism across the country. Over the past weeks, widespread protests propelled by acts of police brutality against black communities have forced this country to confront a culture of ongoing and systemic racism. The racial disparities that have contributed to this system of oppression persist in every sector. The energy industry is no exception.

Black communities and other communities of color have for generations lived in areas with energy inefficient housing, an unreliable and outdated power grid, and contended with the highest rates of pollution from fossil-fuel power plants, the transportation sector, and storage of fossil fuels. These same communities already suffer the disproportionate burden of climate impacts due to the unabated rise in greenhouse-gas emissions and suffer from higher rates of respiratory illnesses and chronic conditions directly linked to an increased likelihood of COVID-19 related hospitalization and death.

This environmental racism shares the same roots as the myriad racial injustices and brutalities endured by black members of our society for centuries. Clean Energy Group remains committed to expanding collaborations with frontline environmental justice organizations across the country to help address these barriers to justice to bring greater equity to the clean energy movement.