Climate change is without a doubt a threat that firstly impacts the impoverished communities. It is the third world countries which are the most severely impacted by climate change due to their limited resources to tackle the effects of this phenomena. Likewise, it is the marginalized groups and minorities which felt the hardest hit by climate change. There is a very stark contrast concerning the unequal impact of climate change on different races. As if this wasn’t enough, a relatively new emerging phenomenon known as ‘climate gentrification’ is also something the communities that are victims of systematic oppression have to deal with.
If we take a look back into the history, it was the slaves and indigenous communities that were given the worst healthcare and resources. They were given the worst land to live on – land which was surrounded by factories and had a higher concentration of air pollution or land where appropriate clean drinking water was not available. It is these marginalized communities that suffer the most from asthma and respiratory illnesses. In areas like Miami, Florida rich people always wanted to live near the sea, on the beach. Consequently, these impoverished communities were given housing which was more inland and higher up. For example, Haiti asylum seekers were given land ten feet above sea level in Miami.
Sea-levels are rising as a direct result of climate change. This is primarily due to the accelerated melting of polar ice-caps and glaciers. The world’s oceans have absorbed over 90% of the heat generated via greenhouse gasses. The rate of global sea-level rise has been accelerating in recent decades, rather than increasing steadily, according to a new study based on 25 years of NASA and European satellite data. Due to these rising sea-levels, natural disasters, i.e. floods and hurricanes, are more intense now. The frequency of flooding has increased. The amalgamation of water expansion as a result of the melting of land ice into the oceans has driven sea level up about seven inches since 1900, and the rise is accelerating. From 2005 to 2015, the median annual number of flood days more than doubled along the stretch of coast from Florida to North Carolina. This causes people living in coastal communities to lose their homes or be forced to relocate. Property values of locations farther in-land are rising now.
‘Climate gentrification’ is a relatively new term but a direct result of climate change issues causing people to relocate their homes preferably to areas that can withstand sea-level rising, hurricanes, floods, and other similar natural disasters. This causes the prices of land in more climate-resilient areas to increase. Now, many residents of various colored races in Miami living farther in-land have spoken up about the pressures they feel from developers and investors to move—or else be moved—from their neighborhoods.
Effectively, climate change multiplies a variety of threats such as food insecurity, housing issues, water shortages, and even threatens the health of people. It will worsen poverty and social inequality because marginalized groups do not have adequate resources to withstand the associated issues. As summed up by Patrisse Cullors and Nyeusi Nguvu, members of the Black Lives Matter movement, “Racism is endemic to global inequality. This means that those most affected – and killed – by climate change are Black and poor people.”
Environmental injustice and racial injustice are inextricably linked. It has been theorized that polluters usually position their activities in low-income areas but also actively seek locations where there are higher percentages of people of color residing. Research has also highlighted that race has a stronger influence on exposure to pollutants than poverty.
Lead contamination in Flint, Michigan, is a prime textbook example of this and even now the school system is dealing with a sharp rise in neurological and behavioral problems among its students. Minorities and people of color are often afforded unequal levels of protection from the government as compared to Caucasians. Hurricane Katrina highlighted the legacy of unequal flood protection in New Orleans. It was the racially biased distribution of the government funding which eventually resulted in the subpar levee protection for Black neighborhoods. Over 80% of the homes that were lost belonged to Black people and Black people made up over half of the total fatalities. Even after Black people bore the brunt of impacts of Katrina, initial plans for the redevelopment of New Orleans privileged the white communities.
However, these racial injustices linked to climate change are not only occurring or limited to the United States. These linkages between racial and climate injustice are occurring on a global level too. Unfortunately, it is the Small Island Developing States and the Least Developed Countries that will suffer the most from climate change impacts, despite the fact that these countries have contributed the least to the global crisis of climate change. Southern Africa is in the throes of a climate emergency, with hunger levels in the region on a previously unseen scale the United Nations has warned. Years of drought, widespread flooding, and economic disarray have left 45 million people facing severe food shortages, with women and children bearing the brunt of the crisis, said the World Food Programme. One thing is for sure, that these racial injustices will not end until all minorities and marginalized groups are involved as key decision-makers when developing mitigation plans. Unless those groups are prioritized which are most impacted by climate change, racism and climate change will remain inextricably linked. Without a fundamental change in terms of the decision-making process and its associated culture, we will not be able to put an end to racial disparities brought on by climate change. This further highlights the critical role of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in designing, planning, and executing climate change mitigation plans.
References used to draft this article:
Climate Central . (2018, october 4). Climate Change Increasing Frequency of Coastal Flooding. Retrieved from Climate Central : https://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/climate-change-increasing-frequency-of-coastal-flooding
Weeman, K., & Lynch, P. (2018, Febuary 13). New study finds sea level rise accelerating. Retrieved from NASA:Global Climate Change: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2680/new-study-finds-sea-level-rise-accelerating/
