From DC to Louisiana: Carbon Removal Justice Fellows Return to NWF

On July 25th 2025, after eight panel discussions, two congressional meetings, three site visits, and two field trips the second cohort of the National Wildlife Federation and American University's Carbon Removal Justice Fellowship program concluded. This two-week program brought together 13 individuals from academia, environmental justice organizations, local government, philanthropic organizations, and regulatory agencies to discuss how carbon removal technologies can be deployed with environmental justice as a guiding principle.

The program began in Washington, D.C., where the fellows met with Biden-era federal officials, non-governmental organizations, environmental justice groups, and congressional offices to discuss how the field of carbon removal, which benefited greatly from pro-climate and industrial decarbonization policies under the Biden administration, is responding to the Trump administration.

They discussed where these groups see the field moving in the near future, and how carbon removal can center environmental justice in its deployment. These big questions focused on federal policy gave the fellows a high-level primer before their second week of programming in Louisiana that focused on carbon removal at the state level.

Louisiana is one of the biggest hubs for industrial activity and environmental justice advocacy in the U.S. It is a state that feels the scars of industrial development acutely in places like Cancer Alley, and a state where many communities do not reap the economic benefits of the oil, gas, and chemical industries that thrive there. It is also at the forefront of climate change impacts as sea levels rise, coastlines erode, and hurricanes become more severe and frequent.

However, it is also a place of great resilience and community activism. The fellows met with conservation groups working to protect Louisiana's coastlines, environmental justice groups working to protect Louisiana communities, industry groups working on improving their community engagement activities, and academics doing important local research. These conversations gave the fellows important context for the places where carbon removal technology may be implemented and led them to ask tough questions about how and if these technologies can be deployed responsibly.

Throughout the duration of the program, the fellows met with a diverse array of speakers, who offered a wide range of opinions on how they think that carbon removal ought to be deployed-or not deployed. These meetings led to nuanced discussions around community priorities and who is in the best position to provide unbiased educational materials to communities. The fellows leaned into difficult conversations around the tension between U.S.-centered environmental justice versus global climate justice and ultimately who holds the power to make decisions and influence change.

Despite the challenging topics, the program offered a much needed sense of community for the fellows during such a difficult moment to move the needle on climate action. Intentional spaces that bring a group of people from diverse backgrounds are so valuable for thinking through current problems with new perspectives and for making new and lasting connections. NWF and American University are thrilled that the program was such a success and hope to run a third iteration of the program sometime in the future.