Equity & Inclusion

Equity Definition

As a State-affiliated event hosted in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, CAF adopts the following definition for equity from the Adaptation Planning Guide.

Equity means that all people are justly and fairly included in society and that everyone is able to participate, prosper, and achieve their full potential. It recognizes that everyone enjoys different advantages and faces different challenges, and that everyone should be treated justly and fairly according to their circumstances. Equitable climate adaptation planning involves identifying persons who may be most vulnerable to climate change and ensuring that planning processes, distribution of resources, and efforts to address systemic wrongs are all conducted in an equitable manner.

The 2023 program will seek to cover different forms of equity, such as:

  • Procedural Equity: Inclusive, accessible, authentic engagement and representation in decision-making processes regarding programs and policies.
  • Distributional Equity: Programs and policies result in fair distributions of benefits and burdens across all segments of a community, prioritizing those with highest need.
  • Structural Equity: Decisions are made with a recognition of historical, cultural and institutional dynamics and structures that have routinely advantaged privileged groups in society.
  • Transgenerational Equity: Decisions consider generational impacts and do not result in unfair burdens on future generations.

Additional resources that may be helpful to review include:

2023 Equity & Inclusivity Goals

With each CAF, we aim to create a more inclusive and impactful event by welcoming new voices, featuring focused content, and dedicating resources to better engage and empower leaders at the forefront of addressing their communities’ needs as the impacts of climate change worsen and exacerbate existing inequities.

With guidance from our advisory committee, we have established the following goals in our effort to center the program in equity, create an inclusive environment, and uplift BIPOC leadership. We recognize that these goals can be difficult to measure and could easily lead to tokenism without sufficient accountability. The advisory committee will play a leading role in evaluating the extent to which session proposals will support the achievement of our goals.

  • 60% of speakers identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC).
    We aim to create a platform for BIPOC leaders to share their insights, expertise, and calls to action in ways that elevate and advance their ongoing efforts. Session proposals will be evaluated based on the racial/ethnic diversity of proposed speakers, as well as the particular role of BIPOC speakers to ensure speaking engagements are authentic, non-extractive, and non-transactional. Although proposals that demonstrate existing partnerships are preferred, forum organizers are available to help connect session organizers with potential speakers.
  • 80% of sessions meaningfully integrate equity as a central theme.
    We aim to shape a dynamic program that demonstrates equity-centered approaches to climate adaptation through facilitated dialogues, case studies, trainings, and more. This includes adaptation policies, practices, plans, and projects that promote procedural, distributional, structural, and/or transgenerational equity. Further guidance is provided in the CFSP Guidelines section.
  • 75% of all attendees report improved understanding of equity and/or make commitments to advance equity objectives as a result of attending CAF.
    We aim to leverage CAF as an opportunity to advance our community’s collective understanding of and commitment to addressing systemic inequities exacerbated by climate change and advancing equity-driven projects that support community resilience and self-determination.
  • 35% of all attendees identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC).
    We aim to build a program that features relevant content for BIPOC attendees and forge partnerships to reach new networks. CAF travel scholarships will prioritize BIPOC recipients from Tribal Nations, Native-led organizations, and under-resourced community-based organizations, and direct costs will be covered upfront by forum organizers, to the extent possible.