Current:Home > MyWhy Latinos are on the front lines of climate change -Infinite Edge Capital
Why Latinos are on the front lines of climate change
View
Date:2025-04-17 08:47:52
Most residents of Puerto Rico still don't have electricity or water days after Hurricane Fiona caused floods and landslides. The widespread damage, just five years after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the territory's infrastructure, revealed how unprotected the island's 3.2 million residents are as climate change makes hurricanes more powerful and rainy.
Puerto Rico's vulnerability to storms is the latest example of how Latinos in the United States often live on the front lines of global warming. Latinos are disproportionately affected by climate-driven extreme weather, and are generally more concerned about climate change than non-Hispanic Whites, according to multiple national polls.
"Latino communities from Texas to California to Puerto Rico are the hardest hit when these climate-induced disasters occur," says Michael Méndez, who studies climate policy and environmental justice at the University of California Irvine. "They absolutely have a real world connection to our changing climate."
Latino communities are more likely to face climate-driven extreme weather
Latinos in the U.S. are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to experience heat waves, powerful hurricanes, sea level rise and floods, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
And that risk will only grow as the Earth heats up. For example, the EPA estimates that Hispanic and Latino people are more than 40% more likely to live in places where it will frequently be too hot to work a full day outside.
More severe heat waves are a major problem, because millions of Latinos have jobs that require them to be outside.
"For example, agricultural workers, first responders, construction workers, landscape workers," explains Juan Declet-Barreto, who studies the unequal impacts of climate change at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The changing climate is exposing those workers to longer hours with dangerous heat levels."
And, as the news from Puerto Rico makes clear, Latinos often live in the path of hurricanes, from Texas to the East Coast. And storms are getting more damaging as the Earth gets hotter.
Latinos help lead efforts to tackle climate change
Latinos have a long history of climate and environmental activism against pollution and climate change. That includes pushing for fair emissions reduction policies in California and equitable hurricane assistance in Texas. In Puerto Rico, many residents have spent the years since Hurricane Maria calling for a more reliable, renewable electrical grid.
A 2017 survey found that Latinos are more engaged with the topic of climate change, and more concerned about its effects, than other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.
"Latinos recognize the reality of climate change, and recognize that it is a big problem," Declet-Barreto says. "Sometimes I think that there has been this perception that Latinos do not care about the environment because they're more concerned about the economy, jobs or immigration policies, for example. But that is really not true."
veryGood! (61)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Usher premieres Paris concert film at the Apollo with roses, 'Ushbucks' and sensuality
- Soccer Star Alex Morgan Reveals She’s Pregnant With Baby No. 2 in Retirement Announcement
- Michigan newlyweds are charged after groomsman is struck and killed by SUV
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- 'Face the music': North Carolina man accused of $10 million AI-aided streaming fraud
- Peacock's star-studded 'Fight Night' is the heist you won't believe is real: Review
- Investigators will test DNA found on a wipe removed from a care home choking victim’s throat
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- NBA legend Charles Barkley promises $1M donation to New Orleans school
Ranking
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Donald Trump returns to North Carolina to speak at Fraternal Order of Police meeting
- Orano USA to build a multibillion-dollar uranium enrichment facility in eastern Tennessee
- The Deteriorating Environment Is a Public Concern, but Americans Misunderstand Their Contribution to the Problem
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- How Nick Saban became a Vrbo commercial star, including unscripted 'Daddy time in the tub'
- Usher premieres Paris concert film at the Apollo with roses, 'Ushbucks' and sensuality
- Ravens vs. Chiefs kickoff delayed due to lightning in Arrowhead Stadium area
Recommendation
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Emergency crew trying to rescue man trapped in deep trench in Los Angeles
'I cried like a baby': Georgia town mourns after 4 killed in school shooting
JD Vance says school shootings are a ‘fact of life,’ calls for better security
Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
Sicily Yacht Sinking: Why Mike Lynch’s Widow May Be Liable for $4 Billion Lawsuit
Without Social Security reform Americans in retirement may lose big, report says
Verizon to buy Frontier Communications in $20 billion deal to boost fiber network