Centering environmental justice in United States (U.S.) National Climate Assessments (NCAs): a historical and contemporary analysis

Citation: Michael Méndez, Sameer H. Shah, Cynthia Golembeski, Louise Bedsworth, J. Mijin Cha, Leo Goldsmith, Tisha J. Holmes, Julie Maldonado, Beth Rose Middleton Manning, Linda Estelí Méndez-Barrientos & Megan Mills-Novoa, “Centering environmental justice in United States (U.S.) National Climate Assessments (NCAs): a historical and contemporary analysis,” Climatic Change (April 2025)

Abstract: Since 1990, the U.S. Global Change Research Program has published five cross-sectoral National Climate Assessment (NCA) reports. Federal, state, and local governments, policymakers, and the public employ NCAs to analyze climate risks, impacts, and adaptation and mitigation options. This article surveys the NCA landscape and makes the case for centering environmental justice (EJ) to inform actionable, relevant, and accessible climate change science and responses. Case studies of NCA1 through NCA5, released during the Clinton, Obama, Trump, and Biden presidential administrations, examine the roles of EJ, the conceptual integration of transdisciplinary research efforts, and data equity considerations. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to “center” EJ into climate assessments.