The unhealthy relationship between pollution, extreme weather, and inequality
When a heatwave hits, we all suffer. But it’s often those in poorer communities who feel it hardest. I live in a once-poor neighborhood of New York that’s gentrifying fast. As I write this I am sat in my cozy neighborhood restaurant. A few years ago it was a beat up liquor store. Within a few blocks there are scores of new bars, cafes, and restaurants. But signs of the old neighborhood remain. There’s no green space and a sparse offering of trees.
Things we’re not short of in this part of New York: bars, cafes, and concrete.
The lack of green space and trees in poorer communities is one reason why the poor feel it worst when temperatures rise. They are less likely to have air conditioning. (Say what you want about the negative environmental impact of aircon, try getting through a New York summer without one.) Poor people are more likely to be laborers working under the hot sun. They are less likely to have access to healthcare. They are less likely to have insurance coverage that they can call on after a hurricane, tornado, or wildfire destroys their home.
Global warming isn’t just about heat. It’s also about pollution. The pollution produced by coal, oil, and gas companies that is warming the planet also impacts people in surrounding communities directly and quickly. Nearly six million Americans live within three miles of a coal power plant. People in these communities are disproportionately people of color and earn below the average income. The health problems caused by coal pollution are vast, not least the attack on the lungs and the heart.
The health issues that we’re talking about hit some communities particularly hard. African-American children are twice as likely to be hospitalized for asthma, four times as likely to die from asthma. Latinos are 30 percent more likely to be hospitalized for asthma. — President Obama
In parts of Kentucky and West Virginia the only job available is a coal job. Black lung — microscopic specs of dust that remain in the lungs forever — can result in the same medical problems as those of regular smokers. It’s on the rise and being hidden from the people working at the coalface.
Aid and development organizations have been highlighting the impact of global warming on people in poorer countries for years: crop destruction, sea level rise, and the spread of disease. Environmental organizations haven’t been so good at pointing out the disproportionate impact of poorer communities in the western countries. Some attribute this to a lack of diversity in environmental organizations. Others suggest mainstream media has dropped the ball. Whatever the reasons, we should be optimistic.
The recent People’s Climate March was supported by a vast array of organizations including trade unions, justice organizations, civil rights groups, and churches — large and small. Grist has employed Brentin Mock who has a “justice” focus and regularly draws readers’ attention to things like green groups civil rights activists campaigning against coal in Mississippi and winning. “Non-whites” (yes a crude term) are more likely to think that stopping global warming is the top priority. These are signs that the movement is growing strength.
After many years working on environmental issues I’ve long been aware of how a warming planet discriminates against poor countries. After moving to America I am now acutely aware of how it discriminates in rich countries too. I know when I turn on the air conditioner in summer there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people within walking distance who can’t afford to do the same. I’m aware when I head into coal country — like I did this week — that my health concerns pale in comparison to those working the mines and living next to the trains overflowing with coal.
My work on global warming has been, well, global. I can do more locally. Gentrification is a complex issue, but I think there’s something that isn’t controversial — perhaps we could do with a little less concrete in my neighborhood.
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This article was written for Blog Action Day 2014. #BAD2014 #Inequality
