White House official gives speech on climate change at UMass Amherst - WWLP.com
White House official gives speech on climate change at UMass Amherst | WWLP
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – The pressing need for environmental justice brought a special guest to the Umass Amherst campus Thursday night.
Catherine Coleman Flowers paid a visit to the student union to shed light on the critical issue of inadequate waste and water sanitation in the US, particularly in marginalized communities.
She’s the The Vice Chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Her talk included the disproportionate burden that these communities face with environmental pollution and health hazards. 22News spoke to students about the importance of learning about these issues.
“I think young people especially to familiarize with these topics its just a matter of time that we start seeing like issues, there are so many things happening already, so I think its very important for people to get engaged,” said UMass Amherst Student, Maria Fairhurst.
Coleman Flowers also addressed racial, economic, and health inequities caused by climate change.
Kayleigh Thomas is a digital reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Kayleigh on X @kayleighcthomas and view her bio to see more of her work.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate legislation
The federal government and states are in the process of implementing two laws — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — an investment of more than a trillion dollars to address climate change.