The Power of Urban and Rural Civic Engagement to Drive Climate Resilience

Abstract

The U.S. Mountain West faces mounting climate-related health risks, including frequent wildfires, prolonged droughts, and extreme heat. These hazards disproportionately affect historically underinvested communities—urban areas like West Denver, burdened by redlining and industrial pollution, and rural regions, such as the San Luis Valley, marked by infrastructure gaps and impacts to agriculture. Limited civic engagement poses a critical barrier to resilience. The Mountain West Hub (MWHub) aims to build community resilience by fostering civic engagement. Rooted in Community-Based Participatory Research principles, the MWHub’s Phase I (2023–2025) objectives included understanding community experiences with climate stressors (drought, wildfires, air quality, heat), identifying opportunities for climate justice, and strengthening research and action capacities. Four advisory boards—two community-based, one scientific, and one policy/practice—were established to ensure responsiveness and cross-sector collaboration. This research brief describes the MWHub’s approach to cultivating civic engagement by analyzing and integrating community perspectives on climate-related health stressors in West Denver and the San Luis Valley. Key findings from our qualitative inquiry, conducted with advisory board members, directly shaped subsequent research, including a Phase II intervention study. In addition, community-driven policy and practice initiatives addressing both water and air quality are underway, and resources to improve climate communication have been developed. As a result of prioritizing community voices, this brief provides recommendations for building climate resilience through community-led planning and action. By fostering connections and uplifting community members to mobilize and lead, we have established a solid foundation for advancing civic health equity.

Keywords

climate justice health equity environmental justice community engagement program planning and evaluation health literacy advocacy community academic partnership

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