Climate Justice in AC44: A New Generation
This blog was written by C3 interns Gudrun Campbell, Reed Chrobak, Ananya Madaan
Climate change exposes the systemic and social inequalities that are present at every level of society. Extreme weather disasters, irregular crop cycles, and a warming planet will be devastating for communities around the world, but that devastation will not be distributed equally. Instead, it is the communities that are most vulnerable and least responsible for the climate crisis who will be forced to bear its heaviest burden, and who will feel its most severe, most immediate effects [1]. It is therefore critical that we approach the climate emergency from the perspective of climate justice.
Achieving climate justice means recognizing the inequality of impact from the climate crisis and implementing its remedies in our fight for a more sustainable future. It means advocating for sustainability as it intersects with justice to build communities that are not only greener, but more equitable. Locally, it means envisioning our communities anew, reimagining features like density, housing, transportation, and energy. This is the vision that the planning toolkits designed in Phase 2 of Albemarle County’s long-term Comprehensive Plan for 2044 (a process shortened for convenience to “AC44”) aspires to codify, and - with community-driven implementation - has the potential to achieve [2].
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation and climate justice are highly interconnected. Transportation accounts for 52% of Albemarle County’s total emissions [3], compared to 28% for the United States total emissions, and the local adverse health impacts from fossil-fueled vehicles’ tailpipe emissions tend to be disproportionately concentrated in low-income areas [4]. On top of that, underserved and low-income neighborhoods are more likely to lack critical transit infrastructure like sidewalks and public transportation. Roadways have historically separated Black and brown neighborhoods from white neighborhoods that—as a result of centuries of systemic injustices and racism—are often much better connected to services and amenities [5].
Fortunately, transportation injustice is not intrinsic: by pushing for infrastructural change we can make a positive impact on our environment and our communities. AC44 emphasizes improving access and connection in the county through a “multimodal” (using several modes/methods) transportation system. This system would focus on improving infrastructure for all types of transportation, including bicycles and pedestrian travel, reducing reliance on cars [6]. A County-wide transition to zero-emissions buses (or ZEBs) would further reduce the immediate and direct environmental impacts of transportation by eliminating tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions from buses [7].
People who lack neighborhood access to fresh, nutritious food are granted expanded choice by improved public transit. Community feedback included in AC44 notes that the county should focus on improving the reliability of public transport while eliminating existing food deserts. The plan envisions a more connected community with increased access to goods and services, which is especially important for underserved groups who have historically been left behind in planning.
ENERGY JUSTICE
The principles of energy decarbonization and climate justice intersect on a fundamental basis. Energy generation is crucial to survival and the energy sector currently accounts for 34% of global emissions, making it one of the greatest contributors to climate change [8]. The inability to adequately meet household energy needs, known as ‘energy insecurity’, impacts low-income communities across Albemarle County. A lack of equitable energy access is associated with increased rates of food insecurity, developmental concerns, and increased likelihood of hospitalization [9].
AC44 proposes several measures to combat energy inequality, primarily through improved energy efficiency and expanded clean power infrastructure. Specific goals include increasing capacity for electricity generation, implementing solar energy in available areas (such as residential or industrial parking lots and rooftops), and developing utility-scale solar [10].
AC44 also highlights the importance of housing in addressing the intersection between cost burden and energy burden, which is the percent of household income spent on energy costs [11]; smaller homes and shared, mid-density buildings are easier to maintain and can provide more energy efficiency. To prevent low and middle-income families from having to live somewhere cheaper, AC44 proposes improving maintenance and efficiency in those homes.
Ultimately, however, AC44’s engagement with decarbonization does not go far enough to advance climate justice. The feedback from AC44’s community engagement process suffers from a lack of perspectives of low-income and historically marginalized residents, who are most affected by the climate crisis. The County must do more to shield our most vulnerable communities from the effects of a crisis they did not create, eliminating reliance on fossil fuels and taking ownership of sustainable, renewable, and local energy production.
SMART GROWTH
A “just transition” seeks to realize equitable emergence not only from the climate crisis but from the conditions that created it. “Smart growth” addresses the intersections of urban pollution and emissions and works to mitigate both; density, mixed land use, green spaces, walkability, and income-diverse communities are all core parts of sustainable urban design [12].
The impacts of implementing these changes can be significant for our planet, our cities, and the people who inhabit them: by building walkable, dense cities, we can make housing available and affordable for everyone who works in these urban centers, while also eliminating the emissions deriving from commutes and single-family suburban homes. By increasing mixed-use zoning and investing in public transit, we can reduce our reliance on cars and eliminate food deserts. By funding green public spaces we can fight urban heat islands while making our cities more welcoming. By planning for growth instead of fighting it, we can change our society for the better.
A key goal in AC44 is “aging in place” [13], the realization of which extends beyond the need for an increased supply of affordable senior housing—whether independent or assisted—and necessitates other kinds of access, like walkability, public transportation access, and proximity to healthcare facilities. The plan also focuses on affordable housing within walking or public transportation distance of one’s workplace to decrease the transportation emissions generated by commuters who work in the County but cannot afford to live there.
The plan recognizes the demand for dense, mixed-use development that will give community members a greater diversity of housing options and costs in proximity to one another. Community input to AC44 revealed that demand for small homes, accessory dwelling units (or ADUs), and senior living all outpaced that for detached, single-family housing.
However, while the plan’s stated goal of providing “a variety of housing types that are connected to goods, services, employment opportunities, and parks and trails” is optimistic, it has little real potential without sweeping changes to county zoning codes that restrict the multiplex and live/work unit housing the County desperately requires.
CONCLUSION
AC44 presents an admirable vision for the county’s climate future, but it cannot usher in that future without reference to the communities that stand to lose the most. While the plan addresses the need for more accessible transportation, it still fails to adequately identify and prioritize underserved communities, making almost no connections between climate change and its impacts on these communities. It is crucial that the voices of our most vulnerable community members are heard, and that they are empowered to shape a plan whose greatest potential impact will be on them.
By prioritizing the County’s most vulnerable communities in a vision of reliable transportation infrastructure, higher density, more green spaces, mixed-use planning, and expanded clean energy, the county can ensure that everyone has access not only to the services they need but to the community institutions that make Albemarle County and the lives of its residents beautiful.
References
[1] UCA Center for Climate Justice, “What Is Climate Justice?”. Available at: https://centerclimatejustice.universityofcalifornia.edu/what-is-climate-justice/
[2] Albemarle County (2024). “Albemarle County 2044.” Available at:
[3] Albemarle County (2024), “Transportation”. Available at: https://ehq-production-us-california.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/50c9658b123c83bfa2be4966be00be4862f815b5/original/1675093521/1a6336f8d14378793821181f83b1c170_TransportationReport.pdf
[4] Environmental Protection Agency (2024). “Carbon Pollution from Transportation.” Available at: https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/carbon-pollution-transportation
[5] National Public Radio (2021). “A Brief History Of How Racism Shaped Interstate Highways.” Available at:
https://www.npr.org/2021/04/07/984784455/a-brief-history-of-how-racism-shaped-interstate-highways
[6] Albemarle County (2024). “Development Areas Land Use and Transportation.” Available at: https://engage.albemarle.org/ac44-phase-2-development-areas-land-use-and-transportation
[7] Moms Clean Air Force (2022). “Public Transportation: A Tool For Climate Justice.” Available at:
https://www.momscleanairforce.org/public-transportation-a-tool-for-climate-justice/
[8] International Panel on Climate Change (2022). “Global GHG Emissions By Sector.” Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-overview
[9] Albemarle County (2024). “Community Facilities.” Available at: https://engage.albemarle.org/ac44-phase-2-community-facilities
[10] United Nations Development Programme (2024). “Energy and Health.” Available at: https://www.undp.org/energy/our-work-areas/energy-and-health
[11] Environmental Protection Agency (2024). “About Smart Growth.” Available at: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/about-smart-growth
[12] Office of State and Community Energy Programs (Accessed 2024). “Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool and Community Energy Solutions.” Available at: https://www.energy.gov/scep/low-income-energy-affordability-data-lead-tool-and-community-energy-solutions#:~:text=Energy%20burden%20is%20defined%20as,income%20spent%20on%20energy%20costs
[13] Albemarle County (2024). “Housing.” Available at: http://engage.albemarle.org/ac44-phase-2-housing