Unlearn Power

Unlearn Power: Strengthening Communities in the Age of Environmental Crisis examines how environmental inequality undermines ecosystems and the livelihoods of inhabitants while weighing approaches to resistance and advancing community security. Prefaced on the figurative and literal question "what's under the hood?", the text explores a range of contemporary disparities and threats - endemic across environments and societies - rooted in socioeconomic inequality and systemic racism.
Building on the author's work in urban forestry, environmental planning, and energy policy, Unlearn Power applies a range of analysis approaches, frameworks, and case studies to make its case for the democratization of environmental decision-making through the centering of marginalized communities and elevating labor as focal points.
As serious questions persist related to how the potential of energy and environmental transitions can be reached, without rooting restorative justice and life cycle analysis in environmental governance, the objectives of pro-climate and environmental movements will be deficient. The book ultimately calls for the rethinking of power - including both energy systems and political structures - to advance ecological and human well-being.

Lemir Teron is Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Environment and Equity at Howard University.

List of Figures and Tables Preface Acknowledgments Introduction I.The Power Game: Energy Burdens, Transitions and Justice II.Urbanization & Driving Inequality Intermezzo III.Views from the Forest IV.Outlooks References Glossary Appendix Selected Refereed Articles a.Establishing a Toxics Mobility Inventory for Climate Change and Pollution b.Energy Democracy and the City: Evaluating the Practice & Potential of Municipal Sustainability Planning c.Deconstructing Inequality: Cumulative Impacts, Environmental Justice, and Interstate Redevelopment d.Inequality, Urban Heat Islands & Crime Op-Eds & Online Articles US House of Representatives Testimony About the Author