Climate Justice in Boston Part 1
Environmental Justice and how communities of color are disproportionately suffering from extreme heat
Updated: 10:27 AM EDT Jul 22, 2022
[CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CAPTION CONTENT AND ACCURACY. VISIT NCICAP.ORG] KAREN: GOOD AFTERNOON. I’M KAREN HOLMES WARD. WELCOME TO "CITYLINE." HEAT WARNINGS AND SCORCHING TEMPERATURES BECOMING MORE AND MORE FREQUENT FEATURES IN WEATHER FORECASTS. ACCORDING TO NASA, GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN STEADILY INCREASING SINCE THE TURN OF THE LAST CENTURY, AND EXPERTS AGREE THAT UNLESS SOMETHING IS DONE SOON, THIS PATTERN SHOWS NO SIGNS OF RELENTING. BUT NEIGHBORHOODS IN BOSTON ARE NOT ALL DEALING EQUALLY WITH THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. IN FACT, IN A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE CALLED WICKED HOT BOSTON, 25 CARS WERE DISPATCHED TO RECORD TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE CITY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE CONCLUSION? EXTREME HEAT IS AN ISSUE FELT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY BY BOSTON’S COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. WE WENT INTO SOME NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE CITY TO SEE HOW INDICATORS LIKE URBAN HEAT GAIN FACTOR INTO AN IMBALANCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN BOSTON. IF YOU LIVE IN BOSTON, JUST TO STEP OUT OF YOUR HOME ON A SUMMER DAY AND YOU WILL BE STRUCK BY AN UNDENIABLE REALITY -- IT’S HOT, REALLY HOT. ACCORDING TO RECENT STUDY BY UMASS-BOSTON, THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE OF THE CITY HAS BEEN STEADILY INCREASING. BY 2080, THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMP COULD BE 10 DEGREES HIGHER THAN IT IS TODAY. NOT ONLY OUR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ON THE RISE, BUT THE NUMBER OF ACTION THE HOT DAYS IN BOSTON ARE INCREASING, TOO. THE GREATER BOSTON RESEARCH ADVISORY GROUP CONCLUDED THAT IF THE MISSION LEVES DON’T REDUCE, BOSTON COULD SEE A SUMMER WITH UP TO 60 DAYS OVER 90 DEGREES FIGHT 2080. THAT IS TWO MONTHS OF HEAT WAVES. COMBATTING THE EXTREME HEAT AND RISING TEMPERATURES IS ONE ELEMENT IN THE FIGHT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE EQUITY. AND IN BOSTON, SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN LOSING THE BATTLE FOR RESOURCES. >> IF YOU TAKE THE MAP OF REDLINING, WHERE BANKS WERE WILLING TO INVEST IN WHERE THE CITY PUT MORE RESOURCES AND WHERE WE PLANTED MORE TREES AND MAJOR PEOPLE HAD MORE OPEN SPACE, YOU WILL SEE A DIRECT CORRELATION WITH WHERE SOME OF THE HARDEST PARTS OF THE CITY ARE. OVERWHELMINGLY, UNFORTUNATELY, THE PLACES WHERE WE DID NOT INVEST, THE CHOICE WAS MADE BECAUSE THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE PORRER-- POORER AND MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR WERE LIVING IN THE CITIES. KAREN: THE CHIEF OF ENERGY AND SPACE IN BOSTON. WE SPOKE IN A NUBIAN SQUARE TO GET A BETTER IDEA OF HOW POLICY AND PRACTICE HAS LEFT CERTAIN BOSTON COMMUNITIES BEHIND. >> AS AN EXAMPLE, BROOKLINE HAS AN AGREEMENT YOU CANNOT FLY PLANES OVER BROOKLINE. I’M GUESSING MORE PEOPLE ARE FLYING FROM BROOKLINE AND EAST BOSTON. YOU KNOW WHO IS LIVING WITH THOSE POLLUTANTS, THE CHEMICALS AND NOISE? EAST BOSTON. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS ABOUT ASKING THE QUESTION WHO BEARS THE BURDEN AND WHO IS RECEIVING THE BENEFITS. KAREN: SO WHO DOES BEAR THE MOST BURDEN? AS PART OF THE CITY’S EFFORT TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE READY BOSTON PUBLISHED A MAP THAT DISPLAYS IN LIARS PARTS OF THE CITY THAT ARE MOST FOLK PEOPLE TO EXTREME HEAT. IF WE--MOST FOLK PEOPLE -- VUL NERABLE TO EXTREME HEAT. SEVERAL AREAS IN DORCHESTER ARE VULNERABLE TO WORK TO ME. IF WE SELECT PEOPLE OF COLOR, THE RESULTS ARE EVEN MORE STARK, WITH BOSTON’S MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES RESIDING IN DORCHESTER, ROXBURY, AND MATTAPAN. IF WE LOOK AT DANGEROUS IN DANGER OF URBAN HEAT ISLAND INTENSITY, WHERE AREAS OF THE CITY ARE CONSIDERABLY HARDER THAN OTHERS DUE TO A LACK OF GREEN SPACE AND TREE CANOPY, WITH AN INCREASED NUMBER OF THINGS LIKE PAVEMENT, CONCRETE, AND BLACK ROOF TOPS, WE SEE ALMOST A DIRECT OVERLAP PREDOMINANTLY WITH BOSTON’S COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE WEST ROXBURY AND JAMAICA PLAIN WITH A MOSTLY WHITE RELATIONAL ARE HARDLY AFFECTED AT ALL. --MOSTLY WHITE POPULATION ARE HARDLY AFFECTED AT ALL. WHAT DOES THE CITY OF BOSTON PLAN TO DO WITH HIS INEQUITY IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE? >> WE ARE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING FROM CORPORATE PROGRAMS WHICH ALLOW US TO GET FREE WHITE PAINT TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE DARK GROUPS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO DO MISTING STATIONS, POP OF COOLING STATIONS. WE HAVE 30 COOLING TENTS THAT YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY EVENT. WE’RE LOOKING AT ADDING WATER FEATURES AT ALL OF OUR PARKS, WITH A SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON PARTS IN THE HOTTEST NEIGHBORHOODS. KAREN: WE ASKED FOR AREA RESIDENTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH THE HEAT. >> THERE IS A BUILDING RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER AND TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF NUBIAN SQUARE AND ELDERLY PEOPLE TELL ME IT GETS SO HOT THEY HAVE TO COME OUTSIDE ON THE DOORS TO AT NIGHT. KAREN: A SHOP OWNER HAD THIS TO SAY. >> IT DOES GET REAL TOUGH OUT HERE. I GET ICE BUCKETS AND COOLERS AND I FILL IT UP WITH ICE. WE DO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO THAT DURING THE SUMMER. EVERYBODY’S GETTING DRAINED FROM THE HEAT. THESE BUSES KICK A LOT OF DUST AND HEAT AROUND HERE. IT GETS EXTRA HUMID IN THIS AREA. KAREN: IT IS CLEAR THAT RISING TEMPERATURES IN BOSTON ARE MOST ADVERSELY AFFECTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. BUT ARE RESIDENTS AWARE OF THEIR PLIGHT, AND ARE THEY FIGHTING BACK? >> ENVIRONMENT OF JUSTICE IS RACIAL JUSTICE. KAREN: REVEREND VERNON WALKER IS THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION COMMUNITIES RESPONDING TO EXTREME WEATHER, OR CREW. CREW IS HOLDING ONE OF ITS CLIMATE CHANGE WORKSHOPS IN DORCHESTER, WHERE THEY ARE PARTNERING WITH MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL TO INFORM RESIDENTS OF THE DANGERS OF EXTREME HEAT AND RAFFLE OFF FREE AIR CONDITIONERS AND COOLING KITS. >> WE HELP COMMUNITIES PREPARE IN AN EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE WAY TO BECOME CLIMATE-RESILIENT, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT SOCIAL RESILIENCE IS CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE NEIGHBORS CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE DOING EVENT LIKE THIS TONIGHT. KAREN: ORGANIZATIONS LIKE CREW ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, AND DESPITE THEIR BEST EFFORTS, THESE ORGANIZATIONS DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO MAKE A SWEEPING IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN BOSTON. >> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CLIMATE READY BOSTON WORK WITH NONPROFITS ON THE GROUND, WHO HAVE A GRASSROOTS PRESENCE, TO ENSURE THAT RESOURCES ARE GIVEN. YES, WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE OUT AIR-CONDITIONERS TONIGHT, BUT IF WE HAD ACCESS TO MUNICIPAL FUNDING OR STATE FUNDING OR FEDERAL FUNDING, WE COULD BUY A WHOLE LOT MORE. KAREN: MASS GENERAL HAS SENT ALONG DR. MELANIE HAYNES TO INFORM RESIDENTS OF THE HEALTH RISKS BROUGHT ON BY EXTREME HEAT AND HOW TO KEEP COOL. SHE SPOKE ABOUT THE CONTRAST BETWEEN HEAT AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR VERSUS HEAT AND PREDOMINANTLY WHITE COMMUNITIES. >> THERE WAS A STUDY A FEW YEARS BACK THAT WENT AROUND BOSTON ON A DAY THAT THE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND 90 DEGREES AT LOGAN AND FOUND THAT IN URBAN HEAT ISLANDS IN BOSTON, THE SURFACE TEMPERATURES RIGHT ABOVE THE ASPHALT WAS 40 DEGREES FIRE. YOU COULD CRACK AN EGG AND FRY IT. KAREN: THE DOCTOR GOES ON TO EXPLAIN THAT ALTHOUGH CLIMATE CHANGE CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS EVENTS LIKE HURRICANES AND FLOODING, IT IS THE EXTREME HEAT WHICH POSES THE MOST DANGER TO URBAN COMMUNITIES. >> THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REPORTS THAT EACH YEAR ABOUT 100 TO 200 PEOPLE IN THE U.S. DIE FROM EXTREME HEAT. MORE RECENT DATA SUGGESTED THAT THE NUMBER MAY ACTUALLY BE MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT. PEOPLE WITH UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS ARE AT RISK OF HAVING EXACERBATIONS OF THE MEDICAL CONDITION DURING THE HEAT WAVE. HEAT IS PLAYING A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTING ROLE. THE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF DEATHS DUE TO HEAT RELATED ILLNESS MAY BE 5000 YEAR. KAREN: IT IS PROPORTIONATE SUFFERING AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IS UNDENIABLE. BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE FIGHTING ON THE FRONT LINES TO BRING A COOLER FUTURE TO OUR CITIES -- OUR CITY’S MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE NOT GONE UNNOTICED BY POLICYMAKERS. IN ATTENDANCE AT THE CREW WORKSHOP WAS GLOBAL WARMING HAS COMMITTEE MEMBER RUSSELL HOLMES, WHO REPRESENTS NEIGHBORHOODS IN DORCHESTER AND MATTAPAN. >> THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENT OF JUSTICE IS NUMBER ONE. THE THING I THINK MATTERS MOST WAS THE LEGISLATION RESIGNED AROUND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE THOUGHT WAS VERY IMPORTANT WAS TO DEFINE WHAT IS IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY. IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY, YOU MUST HAVE AN IMPACT STUDY TO TELL US NOT ONLY THE IMPACT OF THE INDIVIDUAL PROJECT, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOLISTICALLY OVER TIME. KAREN: FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IN BOSTON, THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE FRONT HAS BEEN AN EXHAUSTING UPHILL BATTLE. BUT AN INCREASING NUMBER OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ARE DETERMINED TO CONFRONT THE ISSUE AT A GRASSROOTS LEVEL. THROUGH THEIR HARD WORK AND DILIGENCE, THESE NEIGHBORHOODS MIGHT CHANGE THE TIDE OF THIS UNRESOLVED AND ONGOING CRISIS. AND WHEN WE RETURN, WE’LL LOOK AT A UNIQUE APPROACH TAKEN BY A LOCAL CLIMATE ADVOCACY GROUP THAT BELIEVES FINANCIAL STABILITY IS THE KEY T
Climate Justice in Boston Part 1
Environmental Justice and how communities of color are disproportionately suffering from extreme heat
Updated: 10:27 AM EDT Jul 22, 2022
This week on CityLine, communities of color are disproportionately suffering from the extreme heat brought on by climate change. Environmental Justice advocates, including Reverend Mariama White Hammond, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the city of Boston, speak out about how communities of color can change their fate and work together to reverse the policies and practices that have left Boston’s black and brown neighborhoods exposed to dangerously high temperatures. Climate Justice Organizations Contact Information Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW)Twitter: @ClimatecrewsFacebook: @ClimatecrewsBrowning the Green SpaceLinkedIn: Browning the Green Space Twitter: @BGSMatters GreenRoots Twitter: @GreenRootsEJFacebook: GreenRoots Instagram: @GreenRoots / @RaicesVerdes Boston GreenFest 2022 Dates: August 19th – 22ndLocation: Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston
NEEDHAM, Mass. — This week on CityLine, communities of color are disproportionately suffering from the extreme heat brought on by climate change. Environmental Justice advocates, including Reverend Mariama White Hammond, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the city of Boston, speak out about how communities of color can change their fate and work together to reverse the policies and practices that have left Boston’s black and brown neighborhoods exposed to dangerously high temperatures.
Climate Justice Organizations Contact Information
Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW)
Twitter: @Climatecrews
Facebook: @Climatecrews
Browning the Green Space
LinkedIn: Browning the Green Space
Twitter: @BGSMatters
GreenRoots
Twitter: @GreenRootsEJ
Facebook: GreenRoots
Instagram: @GreenRoots / @RaicesVerdes
Boston GreenFest 2022
Dates: August 19th – 22nd
Location: Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston