One of the most consequential-for-the-climate SCOTUS cases is actually about college admissions. Here's how the Harvard affirmative action case will impact the environment ⬇️
One of the most consequential climate cases of the Supreme Court’s term isn’t about greenhouse gas emissions — it’s about college admissions. But it could allow the court to further hobble the Biden administration’s efforts to address climate change.
And here’s the climate angle: President Joe Biden has committed to address long-standing inequities that have left Black and brown communities more exposed to the effects of rising global temperatures. But if the Supreme Court rules against Harvard, federal agencies might have to do their climate justice work without acknowledging racial disparities, making it harder to provide targeted relief.
Opponents of race-conscious college admissions argue that the policies — designed to draw in a diverse set of students — are “overemphasizing race” to the point that schools are illegally excluding Asian and white applicants.