Voices unheard: Meaning, implications, and challenges for historically marginalized communities at the forefront of climate change

While climate change is predicted to have devastating impacts globally, historically marginalized communities are likely to experience its worst effects. As an illustration, Utah continues to experience detrimental impacts of climate change, with disproportionate consequences for historically marginalized groups. However, their experiences and needs remain unheard, thereby imposing disparities in initiating social justice into challenges around climate change in a post-carbon society. To address this gap, we conducted small group discussions to capture environmental stressors and barriers experienced first-hand by marginalized communities who live around the Great Salt Lake and are directly impacted by climate change challenges. Their apprehensions and barriers to engaging in sustainable actions are discussed. This work highlights the need to build educational outreach efforts to highlight the urgency of climate change and develop coping protocols to support historically marginalized Utahns at the forefront of climate change. Knowledge, affective, and sociocultural factors shape perspectives toward climate issues and should be considered to achieve inclusion, justice, and social engagement in addressing climate change and sustainability challenges among historically marginalized Utahns. Furthermore, historically marginalized Utahns need empowerment so that they can voice their concerns and challenges, so that feasible solutions can be developed to promote and maintain sustainability efforts. It is essential to bring together and empower historically marginalized communities who otherwise would have negligible resources to engage in climate-related dialogue and action.