DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND JUSTICE STATEMENT

Land acknowledgement

Western New York Climate Reality acknowledges Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the land, and the enduring relationship that exists between them and their traditional territories. The land on which we sit is the traditional unceded territory of the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations Confederacy.

We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced occupation of their territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people connected from time immemorial to this land on which we gather.

At The Climate Reality Project, we are committed to building a more just and equitable world, one where all voices are heard and respected regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or physical ability.

We recognize that a diverse and inclusive movement is critical to solving the climate crisis, and that to build this winning coalition, we must ensure that those directly impacted – particularly those who have been excluded in the past – are at the center of the movement for change. While the climate crisis manifests on a global scale, we acknowledge that indigenous peoples, low-income families, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups represent frontline communities who experience harmful climate impacts first and worst.

To live our values of sustainability in a future for all, we must commit to understanding and undoing the historic injustices which contribute to this reality and, in our solutions, address systemic inequities.

At The Climate Reality Project, we believe that equity, fairness, and the fully voiced engagement of frontline communities most impacted by climate change are essential components of any enduring climate solution and that to solve the climate crisis, we must pursue a just transition to a clean energy economy that nurtures healthy and sustainable communities and ecosystems.