Centering environmental justice in United States (U.S.) National Climate Assessments (NCAs): a historical and contemporary analysis
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Since 1990, the U.S. Global Change Research Program has published five cross-sectoral National Climate Assessment (NCA) reports. Federal, state, and local governments, policymakers, and the public employ NCAs to analyze climate risks, impacts, and adaptation and mitigation options. This article surveys the NCA landscape and makes the case for centering environmental justice (EJ) to inform actionable, relevant, and accessible climate change science and responses. Case studies of NCA1 through NCA5, released during the Clinton, Obama, Trump, and Biden presidential administrations, examine the roles of EJ, the conceptual integration of transdisciplinary research efforts, and data equity considerations. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to “center” EJ into climate assessments.
Source: Climatic Change
Institutions: University of California, Irvine, University of Washington, The New School, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Cruz, Yale University, Florida State University, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Davis, University of Denver
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,390
OpenAlex ID: W4409768486