Climate change: A civil rights issue for blacks

Climate change is more than an environmental issue. It is a human rights and economic justice issue. Why? Because though climate change impacts all of us, different nations, and different communities within nations, experience the effects of climate change in varying ways, some worse than others.

This point was clearly made at last month’s U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, where it quickly became evident that the rich and powerful nations

I was part of the only African-American delegation at the conference as a member of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies’ Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change. We were there because African Americans have a dog in this fight. We produce less greenhouse gas emissions (about 20% less than other Americans, according to a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation study), but we bear a greater burden in terms of pollution and climate change.

Robert Bullard, who runs an environmental justice program at Clark Atlanta University, has noted that the adverse impacts of climate change fall most heavily on people of color who are concentrated in urban centers, coastal regions and areas where the air quality is poor.

After Copenhagen, the U.S. has committed to reduce emission levels and has begun the slow transition to a low-carbon economy. But these policies are likely to increase the cost of gasoline and electricity, which disproportionately impact people of color. The non-partisan Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says that even a modest 15% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions would cost the poorest fifth of Americans an average of about $750 a year per household. While both the Senate and House energy bills include proposals to offset costs to help the poor, the aid allotted is less than is necessary to fully protect low-income consumers.

USA Today