John Lewis And His Environmental Legacy
By Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd for Forbes.
I awoke to the news that Congressman John Lewis died. He died at a time when people are actually complaining about “violation of freedoms” because experts recommend wearing face masks to protect their health. I cannot help but to juxtapose those complaints against a man who endured beatings and brutality for my right to simply live equally in this country. John Lewis stands firmly with some of the great Americans in history. However, I suspect many of you didn’t learn about him in a K-12 U.S. History class. Much of African-American history has been truncated or omitted in the history books. I was compelled to use this platform to honor Congressman Lewis. Lewis tirelessly fought, bled and sacrificed for civil rights, the downtrodden, and those without a voice. He also understood the importance of the environment and climate change. Herein, I reflect on that part of his legacy.
Yes, I know. John Lewis may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think about the environment or climate change. However, his body of work shows that he understood the significance of environmental issues and climate change. On his Congressional website, he said, “Humanity is the most important endangered species under threat from climate change and yet we flood our ecology with poisons and pollution.” The League of Conservation Voters documents his environmental voting record and gave him a lifetime score of 92%. Lewis has also been a long-time supporter of stronger funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and has advocated strengthening the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts.
When President Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, Congressman Lewis issued a scathing press release. He said, “I do not agree with the dark vision of America’s future the president described that pits accepting responsibility for our environmental impact against the economic stability and vitality of our country.” Lewis, in his always eloquent manner, also detailed the impact of such actions on American workers and our global allies. He went on to say, “The rest of the world has seen the economic and environmental benefit of clean energy, and they will leave us behind.”
Fellow Atlantan and civil rights activist Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley wrote a powerful Op-Ed framing climate change as a civil rights issue. He said, “When your children suffer from asthma and cannot go outside to play, as is the case for many in Atlanta, it is a civil rights issue....When unprecedented weather disasters devastate the poorest neighborhoods in places like New Orleans, New Jersey, and New York, it is a civil rights issue....When farmers in faraway lands cannot feed their families because the rains will no longer come, it is a civil rights issue.” Congressman Lewis’ speech before the Committee on Ways and Means in 2019 shows that he understood this too. Lewis articulated critical connections between climate change, health, and economic well-being.
While I can’t get into the head of the iconic leader, the following words of praise to young climate activists seem to be drawn from his storied and steadfast experience as an activist fighting for racial justice in the segregated South. In a press release this past September he wrote, “These young people are saying we all have a right to know what is in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and the food we eat....It is our responsibility to leave this planet cleaner and greener.” Lewis was also a supporter of the Green New Deal, a comprehensive plan to decarbonize our energy economy and address fundamental climate injustices facing marginalized communities.
At the end of the day, Congressman Lewis will be remembered for a long list of contributions to the United States of America that have nothing to do with climate change or the environment. As I reflect on his life, many people might have been cynical or angry after being beaten or hosed in your own country. However, Congressman Lewis loved this country and tirelessly worked on its behalf and for people like me. His record and words also shows that loved this Earth as well.
“When we take our air, waters and land for granted; when we show a simple lack of respect for nature and our environment, we unmake God’s good creation — John Lewis”
Rest In Peace sir.
About the author…
Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, a leading international expert in weather and climate, was the 2013 President of American Meteorological Society (AMS) and is Director of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Atmospheric Sciences Program. Dr. Shepherd is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor and hosts The Weather Channel’s Weather Geeks Podcast, which can be found at all podcast outlets. Prior to UGA, Dr. Shepherd spent 12 years as a Research Meteorologist at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center and was Deputy Project Scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. In 2004, he was honored at the White House with a prestigious PECASE award. He also has received major honors from the American Meteorological Society, American Association of Geographers, and the Captain Planet Foundation. Shepherd is frequently sought as an expert on weather and climate by major media outlets, the White House, and Congress. He has over 80 peer-reviewed scholarly publications and numerous editorials. Dr. Shepherd received his B.S., M.S. and PhD in physical meteorology from Florida State University.