Durham, N.C. — A ribbon cutting was held Wednesday for a new research institute dedicated to making progress in environmental justice.
RTI International and North Carolina Central University teamed together to open the NCCU–RTI Center for Applied Research in Environmental Sciences, (CARES), on RTI’s campus located at 3040 East Cornwallis Road in RTP.
Researchers from RTI and NCCU will examine how the environment affects health and disease, with a particular focus on the disproportionate effects on underserved communities.
Examples of environmental injustice are not having access to healthy foods, water pollution, or air quality.
According to a statement on the new CARES center, leaders hope to “drive environment justice research toward a future where all people are protected against harmful environmental exposures regardless their race, color, or income and where all individuals have equal chances at healthy living.”
In 2019, RTI and NCCU started to work together to share their scientific research, with the goal of developing the next generation scientists who will be working towards environmental justice.
Other states are also making progress in the field.
On Earth Day, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive decree creating a new office for environmental justice. The announcement was made on Earth Day.
