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Environmental issues and public health concerns

Warren Washington gave one of the lead Presidential Forum presentations at the American Meteorological Society Annual meeting on Monday, January 16, 2007. The title of his talk was "The Connection between the Martin Luther King Legacy and Environmental Justice". In his talk he pointed out that Martin Luther King, Jr. not only led the battle for civil rights for minorities and poor people, but he was deeply concerned about environmental issues and public health. These issues have disproportionately harmed both groups of our citizens. Environmental Justice is based on the principle that all members of society have a right to clean water, air, and ecosystems and that no segment of populations should dis proportionally be effected by pollution. The preservation of the Earth's environment includes understanding the impacts of anthropogenically caused climate change. The American Meteorological Society, through activities of its members and publications of scientific results and meetings, has contributed substantially to the understanding of past, present, and future climates including its impacts on society.