[Durham INC] Fwd: [epa-ej] EPA Report Shows Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change on Socially Vulnerable Populations in the United States

[bonita green]

***please do not reply to this email***

*EPA Report Shows Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change on Socially
Vulnerable Populations in the United States*

A new EPA analysis released today shows that the most severe harms from
climate change fall disproportionately upon underserved communities who are
least able to prepare for and recover from, heat waves, poor air quality,
flooding, and other impacts.  EPA’s analysis indicates that racial and
ethnic minority communities are particularly vulnerable to the greatest
impacts of climate change. *Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the
United States: A Focus on Six Impact Sectors* is one of the most advanced
environmental justice studies to date that looks at how projected climate
change impacts may be distributed across the American public.

“The impacts of climate change that we are feeling today, from extreme heat
to flooding to severe storms, are expected to get worse, and people least
able to prepare and cope are disproportionately exposed,” *said EPA
Administrator Michael S. Regan* “This report punctuates the urgency of
equitable action on climate change. With this level of science and data, we
can more effectively center EPA’s mission on achieving environmental
justice for all.”

EPA’s new, peer-reviewed report shows the degree to which four socially
vulnerable populations— defined based on income, educational attainment,
race and ethnicity, and age—may be more exposed to the highest impacts of
climate change. The report quantifies six types of impacts, including those
to health from changes in air quality and extreme temperature, disruptions
to weather-exposed workers, and flooding threats to property.

Key findings of the report include:

   - That Black and African American individuals are projected to face
   higher impacts of climate change for all six impacts analyzed in this
   report, compared to all other demographic groups. For example, with 2°C
   (3.6°F) of global warming, Black and African American individuals are:
      - 34% more likely to currently live in areas with the highest
      projected increases in childhood asthma diagnoses. This rises to
41% under
      4°C (7.2°F) of global warming.
      - 40% more likely to currently live in areas with the highest
      projected increases in extreme temperature-related deaths. This rises to
      59% under 4°C of global warming.
   - That Hispanics and Latinos have high participation in weather-exposed
   industries, such as construction and agriculture, which are especially
   vulnerable to the effects of extreme temperatures. With 2°C (3.6°F) of
   global warming, Hispanic and Latino individuals are 43% more likely to
   currently live in areas with the highest projected reductions in labor
   hours due to extreme temperatures. With regards to transportation, Hispanic
   and Latino individuals are about 50% more likely to currently live in areas
   with the highest estimated increases in traffic delays due to increases in
   coastal flooding.



This significant study represents an important milestone in understanding
the future impacts of climate change on different American populations,
especially under-resourced communities. Due to data and modeling
limitations, this study is limited to the contiguous U.S. Future work will
enhance both the coverage of other important areas, such as Hawaii and
Alaska and will explore additional impact sectors and measures of social
vulnerability.

Today’s analysis will help further efforts being taken by the Biden
Administration across the Federal government to advance environmental
justice and to address the disproportionate impacts that climate change is
having on vulnerable communities. During his first weeks in office,
President Biden issued Executive Order 14008 on *Tackling the Climate
Crisis at Home and Abroad,
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/>*
which established the first-ever *White House Environmental Justice
Advisory Council,
<https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/white-house-environmental-justice-advisory-council>*
the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council, and the Justice40
Initiative
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/27/fact-sheet-president-biden-takes-executive-actions-to-tackle-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad-create-jobs-and-restore-scientific-integrity-across-federal-government/>.
Through the Justice40 Initiative, the Federal government is, for the first
time in history, working to ensure
<https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/news-updates/2021/07/20/the-path-to-achieving-justice40/>
that
at least 40-percent of climate and clean energy investment benefits flow to
disadvantaged communities.

Access the report: https://www.epa.gov/cira/social-vulnerability-report

Information about climate change: https://www.epa.gov/climate-change

Information about environmental justice:
https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice



For up-to-date information about Environmental Justice funding
opportunities, events, and webinars, subscribe to EPA's Environmental
Justice listserv by sending a blank email to: join-epa-ej at lists.epa.gov.
Follow us on Twitter: @EPAEnvJustice <https://twitter.com/EPAEnvJustice>.




-- 
Bonita Green
Merrick-Moore Community Development Corporation
*merrickmoorecommunity at gmail.com <merrickmoorecommunity at gmail.com>*
954.632.2079 (mobile)
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