AAPI Communities at the Forefront of Climate Action and Environmental Justice

By Erika Pietrzak, May 14, 2025

As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, it's important to recognize the often-overlooked contributions of these communities in the fight for environmental justice.

[Source: CleanChoice Energy]

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which celebrates a diverse group of peoples that are often left out of environmental justice efforts. Despite a lack of attention in the media, Asian Americans are very involved in environmentalism; 70 percent of Asian Americans consider themselves environmentalists, compared to the national average of 41 percent. Furthermore, 77 percent of Asian Americans support stronger federal legislation to address climate change compared to the national average of 65 percent. 

Pacific Islanders are uniquely in tune with the environment, and they highly value the preservation of their indigenous sustainable practices because of the legacy of colonization that stripped them of many of their Indigenous sustainable ways. Impacts from climate change, including rising sea levels, pose further challenges to maintaining traditional ways of life. Christina Choi from the National Resource Defence Council wrote about how the stereotype that Asians are overly frugal may be contributed to by their ancestral history and dedication to avoiding resource waste. From a history of postwar economic recovery to weapons of mass destruction wreaking havoc on their ecosystems, protecting natural resources has become instilled in many Asian cultures. Choi goes on to detail how “Korean culture emphasizes the interconnectedness between people,” with each individual having a responsibility to contribute to the greater good. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that 86 percent of Asian Americans “agree that acting on climate change now would provide a better life for our children and grandchildren.”

Despite the disproportionate impacts natural hazards have had against them, Asian Americans' “model minority” stereotype contributes to their lack of recognition in the environmental justice movement. This bolsters the belief that Asian Americans do not need the same attention and support that other communities receive to mitigate the harms of natural hazards. Still, Asian Americans suffer from higher exposure to neighborhood tailpipe and smokestack emissions that contribute to higher rates of cancer and asthma than white Americans. A 2007 study found that Asian populations in the Western United States were 1.8 times higher in neighborhoods with commercial hazardous waste facilities than in neighborhoods without. A 2014 study found that Korean and Japanese American women in California “faced substantial exposure to mammary gland carcinogens in their neighborhoods.”

Though Pacific Island communities do not significantly contribute to fossil fuel emissions or waste, the location of these islands and a lack of care from others forces them to remain one of the most impacted of all communities. Pacific Islanders experience some of the worst impacts of climate change “as they grapple with intensifying storms, coastal erosion, and other crises that threaten not only their traditions, but their very existence.” 

Their island location has placed them on the radar of the United States military, and unfortunately, placed the Pacific Islands on the frontline of climate change’s reality. American military bases dot the islands in the Pacific, spewing pollution and scarring landscapes. The diverse ocean ecosystems of the Pacific are at risk as fish stocks plummet and coral reefs bleach. Rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and extreme weather events force thousands of residents to leave the islands.

[Source: Richmond Confidential]

Richmond, California

Laotian immigrants began moving into Richmond, California more than a century ago, many of whom brought their agricultural skills with them to the new soil. This community was not the only one moving in, however, and the area soon saw an influx of industrialization.. In 1902, Chevron built its first refinery in Richmond, which was its first step toward building a large presence in the city. Since then, Chevron has been responsible for high levels of pollution in the area, including an explosion in 1999 that spewed smoke across the area. The emergency services in the county were sent out, and emergency warnings were promptly issued. However, these emergency services were only available in English, and due to the language barrier in emergency communications, many communities were subject to harm, and over 2,500 Richmond residents were hospitalized. Another explosion in 2012 resulted in 15,000 residents seeking medical attention. In 2021, a Chevron oil spill in the Bay saw 600 gallons pollute their waters.

Today, more than 350 refineries and other fossil fuel companies are based in Richmond with more than 100 hazardous waste sites within its borders. Rates of childhood asthma are at 17 percent in Richmond, more than double the national average. Grassroots activists have fought hard against industries in Richmond, winning a lawsuit against Chevron that saw a five million dollar settlement over the 2012 explosion.

Quincy, Massachusetts

Asians make up thirty percent of Quincy’s population, but are disproportionately impacted by pollution in the area compared to white populations. The Weymouth Compressor, a gas pipeline project, poses a direct threat in the form of noise and air pollution in Quincy Point and Germantown, who have 29.6 percent and 39.3 percent Asian populations, respectively. These are the same communities already facing higher rates of cancer, asthma, cardiovascular, and respiratory disease. The new project is expected to worsen current rates of these health conditions.

[Source: The New York Times]

Kiribati

Of Kiribati’s 33 islands, none of them are above four meters above sea level. As homes sink due to rising sea levels, many residents are fleeing. The nation’s politicians warn of the very real possibility that the nation’s islands could become uninhabitable within the next century. Two of the islands, Abanuea and Tebua Tarawa, have already disappeared under the waves, while rising temperatures and sea levels actively threaten the agricultural communities of the islands. In addition to these threats to habitable lands, a recent drought has threatened drinking water supplies and increased the risk of waterborne illnesses.

Marshall Islands

The United States has had a long history of military testing in the Marshall Islands, including the 67 nuclear tests conducted between 1946 and 1958. These testing sites have historically displaced many of the Indigenous residents of the Islands. They have also resulted in burns and radiation-induced diseases sustained by the Indigenous communities of the Marshall Islands due to delayed evacuations of residents and little to no transparency about the nature of the tests.

One of the greatest threats facing the Marshall Islands is sea level rise. Since 1993, the sea level has risen twelve centimeters, or 4.7 inches, surrounding the Marshall Islands. By 2100, sea level will rise by between one and 5.4 meters by current estimates. A one-meter sea level rise will engulf 40 percent of the Marshall Islands’ capital city’s buildings. A concrete dome built to hold 3.1 million cubic feet of nuclear waste created for American atomic bomb testing is threatening to collapse due to rising seas.

Change The Chamber is a nonpartisan coalition of young adults, 100+ student groups across the country, environmental justice and frontline community groups, and other allied organizations.