Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 11

115 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 ASHEV I LLE , NORTH CAROL INA through its integration with a global health pandemic that has on the one hand, disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable, marginalized people in the country and on the other, illuminated the social inequalities that have been some of the root causes of climate upheaval to date. A growing consensus has emerged regarding the science of climate change in recent years – the issue has transformed from a fight for eco-friendly practices to one for the communities that environmental racism habitually leaves in the dark. The City of Asheville, located in North Carolina’s scenic Blue Ridge Mountains – incidentally, one of the few areas left in the world yet to have experienced any significant warming – responded early and proactively to global and state-wide imperatives to grow a cleaner, more resilient, and inclusive economy by establishing what it calls the Climate Justice Initiative. The City of Asheville is working In partnership with