The Border 2 fire in San Diego, CA. Photo credit: Lara Aumann

Our Mother Earth has been under attack for centuries—from the early days of colonization to the Industrial Revolution, and it continues today.  Climate change induced by human activity, with fossil fuel and petrochemical industries comprising a vast majority of this, continues to exacerbate ecological destruction of communities and the environment.  In the 1990s, a global movement was on the rise to address and name the systemic injustices that Indigenous Peoples, communities of color, and low income working class communities were facing in their homes, workplaces, and environment.  This led to the adoption of the Principles of Environmental Justice (EJ) at the First National People of Color Summit over 30 years ago, which have shaped the environmental, economic, and climate justice movements, and continue to guide the fight for justice.  Our Executive Director, José Bravo, helped draft these historic principles that form the heart of JTA’s principles, mission, and vision.

The first principle of Environmental Justice “affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction.”  We believe that Mother Earth must be protected, for without the planet beneath us, we would cease to exist.  Ecological destruction is occurring across the globe at an alarming pace, and the industries, corporations, and lobbyists responsible for this crisis are not being held accountable.  On the contrary, these same culprits are being asked to come up with “solutions” to the crisis that they created.  Meanwhile, the beginning of 2025 saw powerful, terrifying wildfires decimating communities throughout Southern California, despite it being the rainy season and mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere.  It was an unprecedented event—California’s second driest year on record in 150 years, with almost no rain in much of Southern California for the past six months.  The Santa Ana winds, combined with parched vegetation, created an unstoppable force that destroyed everything in its path. While shocking, it’s hardly surprising; these events serve as yet another painful reminder that we’re running out of time to mitigate this crisis.  As a young person, I’ve witnessed how almost every year of my life marks the most extreme temperatures yet, while capitalism continues to rake in record profits for corporations at the cost of the health of our communities and the planet.  We can and must leave fossil fuels in the ground and transition to local and regional, regenerative economies to scale. This is a main tenet of a Just Transition towards environmental and economic justice.

Our Mother Earth and environmental justice communities, ie. Indigenous Peoples, people of color, and low income, working class communities, are targeted at every stage of petrochemical production, use, and disposal.  In the recent California fires, Black and Brown communities in Altadena, incarcerated individuals, farmworkers in Oxnard and Bakersfield, and even the affluent white community of the Pacific Palisades were just some of the folks impacted, although not every community’s impact is the same.  Clean air, water, land, and food in our workplaces, homes, and environment are fundamental rights that are not only intended for the rich, white, and powerful.  Every person, regardless of race, gender, income, or immigration status, has the inalienable right to be free from ecological destruction.  It is impossible to deny that our fight for liberation and justice is interconnected with the health of our Mother Earth and, when this complex relationship is realized, the path forward becomes clear-—ecological unity is the only way forward for our prosperity and that of future generations.  The actions we take now must be considered in the context of their lasting impacts for up to seven generations.

We must prioritize community-led, grassroots solutions that support local and regional, regenerative economies to scale.  A Just Transition guided by the Environmental Justice Principles and the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing is the only path forward; a healthy economy and clean environment can and should coexist.  Justice is necessary, first and foremost, for incarcerated individuals who risk their lives to save ours from fires for a mere few dollars a day; for essential workers, like nurses, day laborers, and farmworkers, who continue to show up to work and must do so under an unjust, racist system that fails to uphold their fundamental rights; and for Indigenous Peoples across the world who have been victims of land grabs and whose land is stolen, destroyed, and exploited.   As a young person, it is important that we stand together in support of the Land Back movement.  The voices, knowledge and stories of Indigenous Peoples, frontline workers, and fenceline communities must be uplifted while simultaneously holding corporations accountable for their role in the destruction of Mother Earth.  As our allies at Communities for a Better Environment stated in response to the fires: “We must stop denying that climate change is happening, and we must immediately address the root causes of the crisis by phasing out fossil fuels that are heating our climate and altering our weather patterns.” We will remember this crisis, the ecological destruction that was wrought, and all the lives lost in the fires. More than anything, we will remember how communities came together to support one another. Solidarity is not only a response in times of crisis, but a constant force that must drive us towards justice.