Climate Change and it's Implications on Enviromental Justice (Spencer Mottley)

     On thursday I attained Dr Juan Barreto's talk in the Trible Library theater titled "Science at the 

Intersection of Extereme Weather and Equitable Policies, Addressing the Climate Crisis" The 

main idea of his speak was how climate fueled extreme weather patterens and events like heat 

waves, hurricanes and severe floods are haveing profound negative impacts on marginalized 

and or vurnarble populations thus worsening the prexisting inequalites that have existed in this 

country. One worysome fact shared during this talk is that extrme heat is projected to increase 

signifcantly between 2036 and 2065. This is espacily worysome for older pepole, childeren, 

pepole liveing in affordable housing and pepole of color who are already disproportionatly 

impacted by extereme heat. Another worysome fact shared during this talk is that 1,100 assets 

are at risk of flooding by 2030 and 1,600 are by 2050. With the largest number of assists at risk 

being public and affordable houseing. This is espacily worysome if you consider 35% of costal 

communties are disadvantaged. Equally shocking is the fact that everyone liveing in the U.S has 

at least recived one exterme weather alert since May 1st. With 39% of pepole faceing higher 

than average amount of alerts liveing in disadvantaged areas. In conclusion the speaker 

empthized how we need to approach this complex challenge from an interdisplinary 

framwork (were scientist, politicans and soical specaist are colabrateing) in order to create 

meaningfull soultions and systemic change. Some interdiciplanery policy solutions Dr Juan 

Barreto's recommended to help minagate climate changes impacts on disavantaged 

communties are to pass common sense legislation to protect outdoor workers, use scientific 

knowledge to help innovate for climate risk, public health tracking and reporting of health related 

illness and death, increased investment in climate smart/ resilent affordable houseing and 

drastic reductions in burning of fossil fuels by decarbonizeing our economy. This talk left me with 

a question, how do we support climate impacted marginalized communties in a time when 

federal resources have been striped? My answer to this question is that those who are able, 

should give as much resources and volunteer hours to local non-profits that deal with soical and 

enviromental issuesas possible to help minagate the loss of federal funds so that these 

communties contuine to recive the help and protection they deserve. 

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