EPA Report Links Disproportionate Climate Impacts To Vulnerable Groups

摘要

A new peer-reviewed EPA report is for the first time connecting the likelihood that specific vulnerable populations will suffer disproportionate impacts from climate change, such as heat waves, poor air quality and flooding, providing the Biden administration with significant data to address its priority focus on climate change and environmental justice. For example, in one key finding, the data show that Black and African Americans are 40 percent more likely to live in areas with the "highest projected increases in mortality rates due to climate-driven changes in extreme temperatures." EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement that 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. 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.