Why All Traditional Climate Solutions Failed in the South of the US; a Call for Environmental Justice

Nathaniel Smith, founder and Chief Equity Officer of Atlanta’s Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE), says that racism is not just another social determinant but rather “the” social determinant of health. For years, in Black communities and the poorer neighborhoods which inhabit nearly half of our population, systematic racial exclusion has so affected policy and planning that it literally determines who gets clean air or clean water–who even has a chance to live past middle age.

Turning point

In contrast, PSE has taken another tack. Instead of handing down top-down policy edicts, the organization collaborates directly with affected communities to identify priorities; it collects its own scientific data and supplies local organizers with tools for advocating change rooted in the lives of people living there. Their strategic approach connects environmental justice directly with health equity and generational wealth now being accrued by private interests from all corners.

The Battle for Brunswick

There are 14 sites listed on Georgia’s Hazardous Sites Inventory located in Brunswick, four of which are Superfund sites. Last November, a chemical fire at the Pinova plant sent toxic plumes over residential neighborhoods, forcing residents to remain indoors. The community had long suffered from pollution problems but it was not until PSE teamed up with Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health that anyone knew what health impacts these might have been in practice.

Researchers took blood samples from 100 residents of Brunswick last year. The results showed alarming levels of several different carcinogens, with the heaviest risks among Black residents and elderly people as well as those who have some connection either by occupancy or employment to factory sites. The presence of the compound Aroclor 1268, which has been specifically linked in scientific literature to Brunswick’s legacy industrial pollution history, provided unassailable physical evidence.

Community voices, such as that of local doula Wendy Brown, have been instrumental in advocating for accountability. Brown’s son once played soccer beside a Superfund site and was exposed unknowingly to toxic substances. Her work emphasizes Georgia’s low maternal health standings with infant mortality in Brunswick substantially higher than the overall numbers around the state.

The project is making fears that were only voices from a speaker unanswerable statistical facts. PSE plans to expand collation with its partners to 500 people, carrying on the light of environmental injustice atrocity and providing communities with evidence they can present for change.

Beyond the Data: Empowering Advocacy and Action

Data collection is just the beginning. PSE helps communities understand and use that data to insist on policy change, environmental remediation, and healthcare resources. In Brunswick, local organizations such as Coastal Community Health and the Environmental Justice Advisory Board are now working with PSE to train healthcare professionals how recognize pollution-related symptoms, and support residents in solving environmental crimes.This comprehensive approach that integrates science, policy, and local leadership ensures that solutions are attuned to the needs and aspirations of those most affected. It is not just about fixing environmental problems; it is about caring for communities and fostering resilience.

Restoring Black Excellence: The Sweet Auburn Project

Injustice in environmental areas is not limited to pollution. It also includes infrastructure choices that rend communities apart. Nowhere was this more evident than in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn district. Once cited as “the richest Negro street in America,” Sweet Auburn was a dynamic core for black-owned businesses and culture. But in the 1960s, construction of Interstate 75/85’s “downtown connector” split the neighborhood in two – forcing 30,000 people out of their homes, displacing an estimated 30,000 residents and crippling local business.PSE has helped create the Reconnecting Sweet Auburn Project. This initiative partners with architecture and planning firms, and is funded by local development groups. It seeks to document the long-term impacts of highway construction and devise strategies that will help people socially reconnect with their community once again physically, economically.

In 2024, the project applied for an $800,000 Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant. Plans include redesigning streets, bridges, and ramps to create safer, more livable spaces while preserving the community’s heritage. Crucially, PSE is committed to ensuring that revitalization does not result in gentrification and displacement but rather raises up those who already live in the area.