Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy advisor, and Brooklyn native. She founded the non-profit think tank Urban Ocean Lab, and is co-editor of the forthcoming anthology "All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis."

In a recent Washington Post article, Johnson, a black climate scientist, warns us that addressing racial injustice in the U.S. is a “central and inextricable component of addressing the climate crisis.” This is not only because people of color are more impacted by climate disasters, but also because polling shows black people are more concerned about climate change. “We can more effectively lead our communities toward climate solutions if unburdened by the many manifestations of racism.”

We recommend her Post article “I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet." and another article that appeared in Time magazine: We Can't Solve the Climate Crisis Unless Black Lives Matter.

There Johnson explains further:

“Let’s include ever more expansive understandings of justice in environmental work. Let’s integrate an understanding of interdependence. Let’s take a holistic approach inspired by ecosystems. Let’s value human diversity as much as we do biodiversity. Let’s think about the world we want to live in, and how we can build it, together.”