Well … the time for debating whether we should be paying attention to climate change or environmental justice is clearly over. Our communities are drastically, demonstrably, and increasingly self-evidently contaminated. On fire. Uninsurable. Storm-battered. Overheated. Underwater.

And if you’ve developed even a cursory understanding of how segregation, disinvestment, and gentrification work in the United States, you’re not going to be surprised about who’s living with the biggest impacts of climate change. Black residents face much higher risks of hurricanes and flooding. Industries that release toxic chemicals and contaminants into the air are far closer on average to Black communities than white communities. Black, Latino, and Native communities are more susceptible to wildfires. Black, Asian, and Latino neighborhoods face greater impacts from urban heat islands, with fewer of the cooling effects of trees and parks. With this kind of geographic reality, the results aren’t surprising. People of color, and especially children of color, bear the brunt of the elevated negative health outcomes related to climate change.

Yes, the consequences of climate change are already being felt. Where we go in the future, though, is still largely up to us. There’s a world where we fail to act and make the crisis even more dire, where our communities sink under the weight of inaction. There’s a world where we manage to just float along, making modest, incremental changes, and holding off the worst outcomes, but still experiencing incredible harm. And there’s a world where we emerge from the current crisis not only with a healthier, more sustainable environment, but also with one that opens up new social and financial opportunities for everyone in our communities.

For those of us in community development, we see a fourth scenario. While we all face dire consequences of climate inaction, the most structurally disadvantaged among us – globally, regionally, and down to a block-by-block level – are also the ones most likely to bear the brunt of environmental catastrophe. Yes, a small proportion of people may be able to outrun and even to profit off of a failing planet. For the rest of us, well, things aren’t looking great.

That does not mean we succumb to hopelessness. An environmentally just world – and even an environmentally joyful world – is possible. We don’t give up. We enter into the work clear-eyed and committed. Fortunately, the people we spoke to in this issue lifted up many opportunities to advance a more environmentally just scenario – whether we’re architects, artists, funders, organizers, policymakers, or workforce development professionals.

This issue, we invite you to dig deep into our community’s soil health – so we can all thrive in an environment that sustains change. Deepen your understanding of both the challenges and opportunities facing us. Explore the ways that environmental justice and community development already intersect and how we can all make those connections even stronger. And consider your own role in mitigating crisis, adapting to new realities, and stewarding our collective resources. Onward.