On this week’s Political Climate, we look at how COVID-19 and climate change are affecting African American communities and how these issues can be tackled in tandem.
African Americans are struggling with a disproportionate death toll from COVID-19 and severe financial strain from the economic downturn. This crisis has exposed preexisting racial disparities created by deep-seated social, economic and political factors.
These same underlying issues make African Americans more vulnerable to health damage from pollution, as well as from heat waves, storms and other effects of climate change.
Meanwhile, African Americans are missing out on wealth-creation opportunities in the clean energy economy, which could be an effective solution to some of these underlying issues — bringing jobs and environmental benefits to communities that need it the most. Read more.