Click to dive deeper
into the cycle.
Recovery
With limited resources to rebuild, hundreds of low-income residents were still living in shelters months after 2018 Camp Fire in California. For those who remained in the area, the fire gave way to a dire housing crisis, with spiked rents, no vacancies, and surging demand.
+ Example
With limited access to credit, insurance, and relief funds, vulnerable communities have little ability to cope, recover, and rebuild after disaster strikes. FEMA’s inequitable distribution of disaster aid is just one example.
Recovery
Preparation
When Hurricane Katrina hit in late August of 2005, many lower-income families were waiting on their first-of-the-month paychecks and could not afford to leave. “The hurricane came at the wrong time, we were waiting for our payday” and “money was hard to come by,” explained several residents.
+ Example
Vulnerable populations are less able to temporarily leave for shelter or take time off work to prepare for events like hurricanes and flooding. When disaster does strike, they have fewer resources to protect their homes, belongings, and other assets from the storm.
Preparation
Survival
During the Portland Heat Dome of 2021, the wealthiest parts of Portland experienced an average temperature of 98°F, while temperatures in working-class neighborhoods were as high as 121°F. This extreme temperature imbalance was due in large part to the volume of trees in wealthier communities, minimizing the heat island effect. Additionally, the use of air conditioning in residential properties was a relatively new trend. The results were devastating but not surprising – in the poorest zip
codes, the highest number of deaths occurred, and in the wealthiest zip codes, the lowest number of deaths occurred.
+ Example
Vulnerable populations are more likely to shelter in place during extreme weather but have fewer resources (heat, air conditioning, proper insulation in their homes) to manage extreme heat and cold. As a result, vulnerable populations experience higher death rates associated with extreme weather.
Survival
Financial Impact
New research shows that climate change has cost the global economy between $5T and $29T from 1992 to 2013. However, low-income, tropical countries have suffered the greatest financial losses. Climate change has led to a 6.7% decrease in national income in these areas, whereas high-income countries experienced only a 1.5% decrease.
+ Example
Vulnerable communities face increased likelihood of financial loss and poverty, decreased property values, and disproportionate loss of assets and income due to higher susceptibility of damage. This further degrades their ability to create generational wealth and break the cycle of poverty.
Financial Impact
Future Mitigation
A recent study found that risk of coastal floods damaging or destroying low-income homes will triple over the next 30 years. For example, nearly 50% of New Jersey’s affordable housing units could flood at least 4x per year by 2050. The four New Jersey cities of particular concern – Atlantic City, Camden, Penns Grove, and Salem – are some of the poorest in the country.
+ Example
Disadvantaged communities have limited ability to invest in future climate mitigation measures or relocate to safer locations. As a result, many become financially tied to properties that are at greater risk of recurring exposure.
Future Mitigation
Systems & Policies
Consider “Cancer Alley,” an 85-mile stretch along the banks of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Here, toxic pollution from 150 petrochemical facilities has led to a spike in cancer and cardiovascular disorders. It’s no coincidence that these areas also have higher percentages of Black and low-income residents.
+ Example
Due to years of institutionalized racism, low-income communities often reside in a zip code’s least desirable areas, adjacent to major highways, industrial complexes, and landfills. As a result, they face higher exposure to pollutants, hazards, and extreme weather. In fact, people of color are exposed to 38% more polluted air than Whites and are 75% more likely to reside near facilities that produce hazardous waste.
Systems & Policies
of Black Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant.
48% of Native Americans
live without reliable water sources, drinking water
and basic sanitation
In Navajo Nation, the
largest US reservation,
30 - 40% live without
piped water
In the past 20 years,
low-income countries have shouldered economic costs totaling 5% of GDP from climate-related disasters
Poor countries, especially tropical nations, will be 4x
more exposed to climate risks than richer nations by 2050
of those who live close to hazardous waste are people of color.
of Hispanic Americans breathe more pollutants than they produce.
Access to Clean Water
Proximity to Pollutants
Exposure to Climate Risks
58%
50%
63%
