In the fight against climate change, we neglect our most vulnerable Corinne Stonebraker
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s wildfires ravage the western United States and erosion and flooding plague coastal areas throughout the south and east, climate change has become an even more salient issue in contemporary medical, environmental, and political discourse. The environmental impacts of global warming and climate change receive a huge amount of attention, however, much of this attention is limited to a macroscopic level [1]. Public discourse and national conversation often centers around global trends and widespread consequences, but the reality is that climate The individuals who are change most most negatively affect- directly burdens specific ed by climate change are c o m mu n i t i e s often part of low-in- [2]. Low-income communities that come, elderly, Indigenous, are already dispro- and commuportionately neglect- nities of color bear the brunt ed by lawmakers, gov- of the environernment officials, and mental fallout the healthcare system. [3]. The city of Chicago is a microcosm of this issue, where the most vulnerable communities face financial hardship, deteriorating health, and potential displacement due to climate change and environmental injustices. The general public often looks to national policymakers to avert the course of the rapidly worsening climate, but state and local officials are often more directly involved in the legislation that informs how climate change and pollution directly affect their constituents [4].
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlines two main ways that climate can impact society: 1) vulnerability and equity, and 2)
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economic activities and services [3]. Vulnerability and equity describe how climate change can affect certain groups of people more than others. The individuals who are most negatively affected by climate change are often part of low-income communities that are already disproportionately neglected by lawmakers, government officials, and the healthcare system. These communities have seen a massive decrease in environmental and health quality over the last decade; yet, local, state, and national government officials often fail to hold accountable the entities responsible for these decreases [5]. The variation in the impact of climate change among different communities is primarily due to communities’ differences in residential location and in their abilities to cope with a changing climate. For example, urban areas often see increased sensitivity to heatwaves, since metropolitan infrastructure absorbs more heat during the day than suburban or rural infrastructure. Consequently, the excessive heat is exacerbated for residents of cities, particularly those who live in crowded, poorly ventilated housing [6]. How e v e r, not everyone in these urban areas is targeted equally, as low-income residents fare the worst; they lack the financial means to deal with high tempera-
Science in society review
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