Identifying Justice40 Communities Based on Cumulative Environmental Burdens

The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) was developed by the U.S. federal government in 2022 to identify marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. This interactive mapping tool identifies disadvantaged communities based on the presence of low-income status and one of eight climate, environmental, or other burden categories. Communities that meet these criteria are eligible for funding from the Justice40 initiative, which aims to direct 40% of overall benefits from investments in climate, clean energy, and sustainable housing into these communities—designated as Justice40 communities. While CEJST includes a wide range of indicators to evaluate burden categories, it does not include any measure of overall community risk or harm due to a combination of multiple burdens. This project seeks to improve CEJST’s model by assessing the cumulative impact of climate and environmental burdens across communities in the U.S. By analyzing and incorporating cumulative burdens using cutting-edge geospatial techniques, the revised screening tool will promote more meaningful and equitable investment into disadvantaged communities facing the greatest risk from climate change.