Energy underpins the working of modern society. The pollution resulting from the extraction and use of fossil fuel energy sources is causing rapid environmental destruction, harming communities, and driving serious problems like climate change. However, like many challenges, these impacts are not borne evenly by all.
 

THE COSTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE INEQUITABLE BECAUSE HISTORICAL POWER STRUCTURES PRIVILEGED SOME COMMUNITIES OVER OTHERS, RESULTING IN UNFAIR RESOURCE DISTRIBUTIONS THAT CONTINUE TO IMPACT COMMUNITIES THIS DAY. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
 

People in these communities are more likely to be non-white and experience chronic health challenges, toxic living situations, and severe economic strain. They are also more likely to lack agency over where they live and how they want to live. The result is higher energy burdens, or the percentage of a household’s annual income spent on utility bills, an important indicator used to analyze socioeconomic equity.
 

We can do better. Greenlink works on improving outcomes in the perpetual issues impacting communities across the US, using our skills in energy to improve the economy, create safer environments, produce meaningful employment opportunities, and save lives. We enable community-based organizations, policymakers, local leaders, and corporations to discover a better path forward and help them tell the story. We celebrate data’s unique ability to do good. We work to actualize a more equitable, sustainable future for everyone.