Building Black Climate Resilience

A Story-Based Policy Briefing for GTHA Decision-Makers.

Black communities across the GTHA are experiencing the worst effects of climate change – from extreme heat to unsafe housing — in neighbourhoods long underserved by public investment.

Yet, their voices remain excluded from the decisions shaping our climate future.

This story, rooted in workshops and interviews with over 200 Black residents in uptown and downtown Toronto, Scarborough, Brampton, Mississauga and Hamilton, brings their lived experiences, priorities, and policy ideas to life – offering a powerful starting point for more just and equitable climate action.

This digital briefing pairs lived experience with actionable insights for policymakers seeking to advance equity in climate planning, infrastructure, and investment.

Scroll to explore their stories and insights.

Stories of Resilience

From high-rise towers without air conditioning to neighborhoods surrounded by highways and industry, climate change hits Black communities differently.

Meet the fictionalized representatives based on real stories gathered from across the four focus areas of the Climate Change Preparedness in Black Communities workshop/consultation series:

Scarborough: “It’s the panic. It’s the panic. I think at the end of the day, it’s all about the fact that we’re not prepared.”

Brampton: “It’s a lot of fear in being able to even think about opening up to go to some of these spaces because of racism and small-town vibes.”

Hamilton: “We can’t afford nutritional food because we’ve got to pay the rent.”

North York: “Growing up, driving to Brampton was like driving to the country. Now, everything is so built up, the kids don’t have space to play outside like I did.”

“Stuck inside my apartment in this heatwave is a health and life hazard without any requirement for my landlord to provide me with air conditioning.”

→ maximum temperature by-laws would protect elders like Desmond in summers like 2025, where we experienced 6 heat waves. “I’m already struggling to spend time outside with my asthma. If the incinerator gets bigger, I’ll never get to play outside in the summer again.”

→ improving compost and recycling uptake by residents could halve waste, eliminating the need for large and toxic waste management systems like incinerators, and reducing pollution’s impacts on children like Aaliyah “Food is getting so expensive, it’s amazing to have the opportunity to grow our own produce, and to nurture a closer relationship with the land for my children.”

→ increasing access to community gardening plots for diverse communities would address some aspects of the food affordability crisis while enabling communities to enjoy the health benefits of closer connections to nature. “A warmer climate means more heat stroke, worsened asthma, and countless other illnesses. More demand on our healthcare system means more burnout for myself and my colleagues.”

→ improved community resilience would mean improved health for all. Desmond from Scarborough Aaliyah from Brampton Maya from Hamilton Kwame from North York

What do Black communities need to thrive in a changing climate?

We asked: “What do Black communities need to thrive in a changing climate?” We heard:

Safe, Affordable, and Climate-Resilient Housing

Black mother hugging child

Black communities want housing that protects — not harms — them. That includes:

  • Retrofitted homes that stay cool in heatwaves and dry during storms
  • Affordable units near green space, transit, and services
  • Enacting a maximum heat bylaw to protect tenants during extreme heat waves.
  • Housing policies that avoid racialized blame or displacement
  • Integration of cooling features like shade, splash pads, and pools into urban design

Community Power in Climate Planning

Black family

Black residents are calling for real, resourced participation in decision-making — not tokenism:

  • Paid engagement opportunities in climate planning and oversight
  • Respect for Black, African, and Afro-Caribbean knowledge systems
  • Culturally safe, multilingual disaster and preparedness plans
  • Inclusive emergency preparedness that accounts for anti-Black racism and distrust in policing

Jobs, Justice & a Just Green Economy

Black woman holding sign that reads "Time to take action".

Climate action must support economic empowerment and career pathways for Black residents:

  • Access to green jobs through training, mentorship, and youth exposure
  • Employment in resilience-building roles like maintaining greenbelts or running community hubs
  • Food security initiatives rooted in sovereignty, not charity — like home-growing kits and urban farming
  • Community-owned infrastructure for clean energy, water, housing, and transit

Local Resilience Hubs & Infrastructure

Communities need physical spaces and systems designed for climate survival and dignity:

  • Fully funded community resilience hubs in schools, clinics, libraries, and places of worship
  • Infrastructure for solar power, cooling, water storage, refrigeration, and communications
  • Supports for health, mental health, legal aid, child care, housing navigation, and organizing
  • Investments in stormwater and disaster infrastructure, rooted in long-term healing and care

Green Space, Food Security, and Land Connection

Black woman holding sign that reads "We are the change".
  • Protected and expanded community green spaces, tree canopies, and rooftop gardens in Black and other underserved neighbourhoods
  • Support for Black-led urban farming and community gardens to strengthen food sovereignty
  • Training and resources for Black farmers and urban growers to adapt to climate shifts

Environmental Education, Connection & Belonging

arms raised up with fists clenched

Climate justice starts with relationship-building and knowledge-sharing that affirms Black presence:

  • Accessible education spaces that welcome questions like “what is climate change?”
  • Youth programs that tie cleanups and greening to community-building
  • Conversations about belonging, safety in public space, and the mental health impacts of climate anxiety
  • Urban planning that strengthens walkability, nature access, and a sense of place for Black communities

A Blueprint for Black Climate Futures

What does climate justice look like for Black communities in the GTHA? Not just surviving climate shocks — but thriving.

Imagine cooling stations open year-round, led by local youth.

Those who are well-off or in certain networks find it easier to get information about, say, city cooling centers or government rebate programs for home retrofits, whereas marginalized groups might not even know these exist.

Imagine every home retrofitted by a local Black woman technician.

Women tend to do a lot of the jobs that are taken away by climate change, so they’re the first to sort of lose economic independence.

Imagine greenbelts managed by the diverse communities living around them.

Having a greenbelt… Can the residents there have part-time jobs or full-time jobs who have some responsibility to maintain this? That’s benefiting the climate, it’s benefiting the residents.

Imagine communities that are fully informed about the supports available to them.

The awareness of what help is out there is itself unequal

Imagine climate plans co-designed by the people they impact most.

We need better leadership. We can’t keep letting other groups decide for us

What Policy Makers Can Do

We asked: “What do Black communities need to thrive in a changing climate?” We heard:

green checkmark

Action Steps for Policymakers

Climate resilience must be inclusive, equitable, and rooted in the leadership of impacted communities.

  • Invest directly in Black-led organizations delivering climate education, services, and programs.
  • Provide core funding—not just project grants—to sustain long-term community impact.
  • Ensure emergency response funds are accessible to grassroots groups and tenants.

  • Retrofit aging buildings in Black communities to improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
  • Implement cooling and backup power requirements in rental housing, prioritizing high-risk zones.
  • Expand mold remediation and tenant support programs across public and private housing stock.

  • Fund training programs that prepare Black residents—especially youth—for green jobs (e.g., retrofitting, renewable energy, climate adaptation).
  • Create local hiring pipelines for city-funded infrastructure and climate projects.
  • Recognize and resource informal climate care work already happening in communities.

  • Create targeted engagement processes that support meaningful Black participation—beyond consultation.
  • Establish seats for Black-led groups in municipal and regional climate advisory bodies.
  • Use equity impact assessments to evaluate all climate policy decisions.

  • Fund the creation and maintenance of community resilience hubs (multi-use, climate-adaptive spaces).
  • Increase tree canopy and green space access in historically underserved areas.
  • Ensure transit and mobility investments support access to cooling centres, medical care, and safe outdoor spaces.

  • Disaggregate climate vulnerability and health data by race, income, and location.
  • Share climate risk maps and planning timelines transparently with communities.
    Involve community partners in designing and interpreting local data.

Will Your Climate Planning Include Us?

Kwame

This work came about through two different but similar community research projects

Learn more about our research lead and Executive Director, Dr. Ingrid Waldron.

Get in touch with Dr Waldron [ waldroni@mcmaster.ca ] 

By ENRICH, a project of MakeWay