As we enter another summer of record heat waves in the United States, we remember that not every American will experience this heat the same way. Communities of color and lower-income communities are much more likely to be exposed to pollution in their neighborhoods due to environmental racism. 
 
Studies have found that people of color are more likely to live near polluting facilities, develop adverse health conditions, and lose wealth after natural disasters while they are less likely to receive sufficient government responses and aid when crises strike. Black children develop asthma at twice the rate white children do and are ten times more likely to die from asthma-related complications than white children. Environmental racism is reflected in additional public health outcomes such as higher rates of cancer, lung problems, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and low birth weight. People experiencing systemic inequality and marginalization bear the brunt of the climate crisis. This is unacceptable. 

The environmental justice movement is meant to address environmental racism by lifting up marginalized communities so that everyone thrives. Yet environmental justice is under attack.  

The current administration eliminated the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) in March 2025. The office was created in 1992 to serve communities who are disproportionately impacted by pollution and exposure to toxins. The Environmental Justice division of the EPA received broad bipartisan support and was expanded by both political parties. The OEJECR is critical to tackling and alleviating environmental injustice across the United States and must be re-instated to ensure life-saving work continues.  

For over 40 years, the United Church of Christ has supported the environmental justice movement and was and continues to be on the front lines of the environmental justice movement.   

As Christians, we are called to be good stewards of the earth and care for the planet and its inhabitants by God (Genesis 1:24-28). When we honor all of God’s children and God’s creation, we honor God and live out our call to love our neighbor as ourselves. Environmental justice is necessary to bring about a just world for all. Together, we can ensure that all God’s people have access to a healthy environment where life can flourish and thrive.  

Urge Congress and the President to re-open the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights today!