New York City has a longstanding history of environmental racism that continues to be felt by many of its marginalized communities. The racialization of poverty, primarily through redlining, has been one of the most prominent ways in which BIPOC experience life in NYC.
Areas like the Bronx, Central Brooklyn, and Upper Manhattan have been the subject of many discriminatory housing policies. By being labeled “undesirable for investment” and ineligible for federally backed loans, these neighborhoods lost out on better infrastructure, public spaces, and financial resources. Its inhabitants have been haunted by this label and face the effects of racism and classism in environmental changes.
The report describes these communities as facing the most hardships with finding affordable transit in addition to overexposure of pollutants due to their proximity to highways, railroads, and waste routes. Access to resources to alleviate these issues, like expanding bike share programs and adding more bus stops, is also declining as these communities face worsening weather conditions.
Figure 1: A map of Manhattan’s most vulnerable areas colored in red; these redlined areas are considered hazardous
In April of this year, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice released a report outlining the NYC Boroughs affected most by climate change. Not surprisingly, these designated “Environmental Justice” areas – EJ areas, for short– are home to minority communities which have historically faced issues of disproportionate effects from climate change. The report states that about 67% of the total population– mostly Black and Latinx communities–living in redlined areas have been affected.
It is reported that around 370 deaths annually result from hot weather, and Black communities have a mortality rate that is twice that of white communities. For many communities, a lack of access to home air conditioning plays a key role in contributing to a higher mortality rate. A 20% deficit in access to green spaces is also a major contributor to the disproportionate health effects in these communities, leading to higher temperatures in EJ areas.
The historical redlining and mapping of these neighborhoods has also resulted in them being closer to polluted water as more and more factories were polluting these areas. This has made the water quality less safe than other parts of the City. Coastal surges and flooding are also impending issues as a rise in the occurrence of these events is expected in coming years. Hurricane-like rains are also expected to raise the potential for greater risks in these communities as limited aid will likely reflect environmental prejudices as redlining has.
Figure 2: Image of expected flooded areas in the coming years as storm surges and weather conditions worsen in force and damage
These inequalities set EJ area communities up to be more vulnerable to climate change. The Office of Climate and Environmental Justice report outlines steps the City is taking to engage others in the initiative to help those residing in these areas address the injustice Black and Brown communities have faced. Incorporating assets they have been missing, like financial investments, proper planning, and new infrastructure, due to discrimination is another step towards resolving the effects of these pre-existing issues.
Climate budgeting, the process of taking environmental changes into consideration when discussing in policies and budgets, is also projected to improve how the City determines the impact of long-term climate changes; it is expected to help identify gaps in communities across, not only EJ areas, but all of NYC while being more transparent about the use of the budget allotted to focusing on such issues.
The report emphasizes the role the government has in bettering the future of NYC and its most vulnerable communities. It calls for transparency in decision-making as a way to build trust and a way to hold those in power accountable in regards to prioritizing those already suffering from environmental crises. It highlights the use of data tools as well for maintaining a level of accuracy as more and more reports come out and more disasters are faced.
Commitment to working with marginalized communities and upgrading regulations in the industrial areas surrounding these neighborhoods is another way to help keep them safe from worsening health impacts. By uplifting the voices of those directly affected and underrepresented, a new future for environmental justice in general is bound to blossom.
As we look more closely into some of the movements that ran and continue to run the call for environmental justice in NYC, let us remember how the history of discrimination has and continues to affect communities across all the boroughs. The Environmental Justice report released by the mayor reminds us of the growing need for change within urban legislation offices. How the City, the government, and its citizens approach aiding EJ areas and taking action will, ultimately, reveal the impacts people can have in changing policies, having proper investments, and having more consideration when discussing who climate change affects most.