Mapping tools such as the CalEnviroScreen and the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) are used to allocate millions of dollars of climate funding. The Greenlining Institute has advocated that these tools are designed to identify communities that are most affected by climate change, economic hardships, and racism. This session provides a practical framework for technologists, government officials, and advocates to go beyond ideals and make equity real in every stage of designing, utilizing, and improving their tools and platforms. This session will touch on limitations with existing tools, such as race not being a factor or tools not including the cumulative impacts of multiple factors, and opportunities for local stakeholders to fill those holes in their planning particularly when it comes to the evaluation of equity goals and benefits.

This workshop draws from Greenlining’s decades of experience in climate justice and racial equity advocacy and technical assistance. We will provide examples from our experience working with communities and government agencies on local, state, and federal tools that are used to allocate funding to disadvantaged communities. We will then move into an interactive discussion where participants come up with strategies on how their jurisdictions use mapping tools and data to advance racial and environmental justice. Participants will have the chance to share their findings and strategies with the group.

Speakers

• Sneha Ayyagari, The Greenlining Institute, Clean Energy Initiative Program Manager
• Nicole Wong, The Greenlining Institute, Climate Resilience Program Manager