Supporting The RACE Report

As conservationists, we cherish biodiversity. We understand that an ecosystem is strongest, most resilient to change, and most likely to thrive when there is diversity of habitats, species, and genes.

So, when we examine the UK environment sector and see the lack of diversity amongst the people working on resolving the environmental crises, it is also our responsibility to respond and fix the barriers which prevent the environment sector from being fully inclusive and representative of the communities it serves.

Synchronicity Earth, one of the funders of the RACE Report, reflects on the role of the RACE Report to drive change in the environment sector.

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“Data is the starting point to change the current system.” Vibhati Bhatia, Founder, South Asians For Sustainability, RACE Summit 2024

Many conservation projects begin with research. It is hard to understand the scale of a problem or what it might take to address it unless we have asked the right questions, of the right people, and use the answers to make a plan.

The RACE Report provides an opportunity for the sector to commit collectively to becoming a more diverse and inclusive profession, as well as a mechanism to monitor how well the participating organisations are delivering on their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) commitments.

Engaging the sector on diversity

As well as submitting our diversity data, Synchronicity Earth has supported this project with small grants from our Synchronicity Portfolio over both years. Due to this support, SOS-UK was able to mobilise a press campaign around the in augural RACE Report, creating momentum for more organisations to hear about the survey and participate, and greater public accountability to our commitment to change.

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Our funding has also supported the inaugural Racial Action for the Climate Emergency: RACE Summit 2024, held in London in July this year.The summit brought together over 120 people to discuss and consider how to make the environment sector more inclusive.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to review how far the sector has come in the last few years, reflecting on initiatives like the RACE Report and Route Map, while also looking forward to what else can be done, particularly by leaders in the sector,” says Nina Seale, Founder and former Chair of Synchronicity Earth’s EDI Working Group.

Keeping the momentum

Initially modelled on the success of the Green 2.0 survey in the USA, SOS-UK announced at the RACE Summit that the project will now be expanding into Europe. This exciting development will hopefully lead to similar engagement seen in the USA and UK, publishing data which can drive action plans.

With thousands of people dying early each year in London due to air pollution, and areas of London with more than 50% Black, Asian and minority ethnic populations more likely to face higher climate risks (including exposure to toxic air, heat risk, and limited access to green space), racial equity is clearly an intersectional issue at the local level. On a global scale, the countries which have least contributed to the rise of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants are the ones suffering the greatest impacts of climate change: heatwaves, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Although the environmental crisis impacts everyone, it does not impact everyone equally.

It is vital that the movements to reduce environmental degradation and protect people and nature are inclusive of the communities affected by the crises. A diverse movement is a stronger movement.

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