According to the latest Census (2022) conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE in Portuguese acronym), the black population (which includes black and browns) constitutes the majority of the Brazilian population. This classification is based on people’s self-declaration of color or race. The sum of people who identified themselves as black and mixed race exceeded the number of those who declared themselves white, reflecting Brazil’s racial diversity.
However, despite representing a significant portion of the population, black and brown people face substantial barriers in terms of representation and opportunities, both in the job market and in academia. The disparities reflect historical structural inequalities that perpetuate the marginalization of the black population in various spheres of society. This marginalization makes this population more susceptible to the disproportionate impacts of climate change and its devastating consequences, especially for the most vulnerable communities.
Efforts to increase inclusion and diversity are underway, but there is still a long way to go to achieve full racial equity in Brazil and worldwide. In this context, environmental justice is an essential field of action, since climate change intensifies pre-existing inequalities. Historically marginalized communities, such as the black population in Brazil, are often the most affected by environmental disasters, due to the geographic location of their homes, inadequate infrastructure, and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions.
Ambiafro’s Mission
In light of this scenario of social and environmental imbalance and the climate emergency, Ambiafro – Brazilian Research Center on Race and the Environment was created. Founded in 2020, the NGO brings a wide range of professionals from different areas to promote racial-environmental equity, defend the environment, and foster climate justice. We propose to enhance the discussion on climate change, promoting a participatory agenda that includes Brazil’s black, peripheral, and vulnerable population. The goal is to increase the representation of these populations in strategic decision-making spaces, both in the public and private sectors.
The intersection between race and the environment is the central axis of our actions. The black population faces disproportionate negative impacts from climate change due to a series of factors, such as economic inequality, limited access to resources, precarious housing conditions, and geographic location. Many black communities live in areas more susceptible to natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, and droughts, as a result of inadequate infrastructure to deal with extreme weather events.
Economic vulnerability amplifies this fragility, as the black population has the highest rates of poverty and unemployment, limiting their ability to adapt and recover from environmental disasters. Therefore, climate justice must be discussed from a racial perspective, directly addressing the deep-rooted inequalities that perpetuate these vulnerabilities.
Alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
These challenges faced by the black population, regarding climate change and other social issues, are directly connected to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), proposed by the UN in 2015. These goals address several global challenges in different fields, such as sustainable economic development, social inequalities, health, education, decent work, climate change, and social justice.
Ambiafro is aligned with the SDG targets, especially about combating inequality and promoting sustainable cities and communities. Our goal is to promote inclusive discussions, focused on racial and environmental justice, creating projects that put the black population in all stages, from planning to execution as decision-makers.
Ambiafro Activities
Over the past 4 years, Ambiafro has carried out a series of activities aimed at promoting climate justice and raising awareness of environmental issues among the black population. Some of the initiatives include:
- Live broadcasts on environmental issues: Ambiafro has promoted public discussions through live broadcasts, addressing topics such as sustainability, climate justice, and the impact of environmental changes on peripheral communities.
- Lectures and Seminars: We organize and participate in lectures and seminars with environmental experts, bringing black voices to the center of discussions, in order to ensure that representation is effective and constructive.
- Educational partnerships: Ambiafro understands that enhancing the quality of education for black people through scholarships is the key to creating more opportunities and reducing social inequalities.
- Educational projects: We have been creating courses and classes to empower black and marginalized people to learn more about climate change and sustainability. These projects were carried out with universities and other educational organizations.
These actions aim not only to inform but to engage the population through content that combines information with entertainment, bringing the black perspective in a lighter and more accessible way.
Next Steps and New Challenges
Our commitment to racial and environmental justice is far from over. To continue expanding our work, Ambiafro intends to launch awareness campaigns, organize workshops, seminars, and offer training to prepare the next generation of black environmental leaders. In this sense, we have already planned to create a series of workshops aimed at young people from the outskirts of cities, where we will address the relationship between climate change, mental health, and social well-being. Our goal is to train multipliers who can disseminate these discussions in their own communities.
The search for new challenges is constant and, in the future, Ambiafro hopes to contribute even more to the advancement of socio-environmental issues in Brazil and around the world. We are developing new partnerships with universities and international organizations to implement research projects that integrate climate justice, race, and gender on a global scale.