Santiago Varela

By Santiago Varela

Climate change has been a trending topic, both globally and in the United States. Every year we are witnessing more and more of its effects on our health, economy, and society. A population that is being affected greatly is the Latino population in the United States. At first glance, it is quite surprising that Latinos are one of the biggest advocates for climate change in the United States. More Hispanics than white Americans recognize that humans are the root cause of global warming in recent times, and advocate more for policies that support the environment. Climate change hits Latinos at heart because the effects of it are disproportionately felt. More than half of Latinos in the United States live in the three states where the effects of climate change are being felt the hardest. The three states are California, Florida, and Texas. California is experiencing extended periods of droughts, Florida is experiencing a great amount of flooding and sea level rise, and Texas is going through extremely high temperatures.

Climate change has also hit Hispanics in the economic sector. A lot of Hispanics work in agriculturally based jobs. In a study conducted by UC Davis, around 10 thousand agricultural workers lost their livelihood due to the drought of 2015 in California. About 46 percent of construction workers in the United States are made up of Latinos who are greatly affected by heat waves caused by global warming. A report by the NRDC found that Hispanics are three times more likely to die from heat exhaustion than non-Hispanic workers. This led to higher prices which impacted Latino’s financial situation even greater. Latinos in the US find it difficult to access quality healthcare which is a big reason why they support environmental health. An unfortunate political issue that Hispanics face is that many are undocumented and do not receive aid after extreme weather disasters. This is a huge reason why Hispanics are concerned with the effects of climate change on local communities. Latinos are also optimistic that addressing climate change can lead to better and clean jobs. The Latino population would prefer to work in developing green infrastructure rather than continuing to work in the fossil fuel industry. There is a belief in the Latino community that environmental progress can also improve economic stability for their local communities and the whole country. This would address job security and improvement in air and water quality which will lead to a decrease in reliance on healthcare.

In a study by Nuestro Futuro, 9 out of 10 Latinos call for climate action. The study also emphasizes that nearly 45 percent of Latinos in the United States are at a high risk of ozone pollution that causes asthma attacks, and lung cancer. While both Hispanic and non-Hispanic children have the condition of asthma, Hispanic kids are nearly ¾ more times than non-Hispanic kids to be sent to the hospital because of asthma attacks. An even greater problem is that Hispanic kids are two times more likely to die from an asthma attack than nonHispanic kids.

While a majority of Latinos favor climate action plans to combat climate change, there are portions of Latinos who are not as alarmed by the effects of climate change. There is a correlation between Latinos and their political party in their views of climate change affecting them. It was found that 8/10 Latinos who align with the Democratic party view climate change as an issue affecting their local communities. Only 52 percent of Latino Republicans view climate change as an issue affecting their local communities. This difference in views in the Latino community can be pivotal in environmental progress among them.

As a population that is greatly affected by the effects of climate change, the Latino community can become a powerful force in creating policies to mitigate the effects of climate change. It is imperative that the community can advocate for an environment that improves their health and allows for jobs to be performed without the risk of heat exhaustion. As the environment improves, Latinos will feel less of the effects of climate change in their local communities. One thing is certain: if climate change is not addressed in the near future, Latinos in the United States will be severely impacted by the effects of rising sea levels, extreme temperatures, and droughts that will undoubtedly harm their health and financial stability.