Blacks and browns will suffer the most from the climate crisis

The record heat that Britain experienced last week was unpleasant and incredibly worrying for us.

But as is often the case with national and global crises, it is our most marginalized communities that are hit the hardest.

Seeing the effects of weather disasters accelerate, another emergency is happening at the same time. It is a crisis of inequality.

While the country is baking in 40 degrees, some people discuss the benefits of putting pillows in the freezer to avoid traveling, putting on a second fan, or working from home in a relatively well-ventilated home.

But for many black and brown people in the UK, the effects of extreme weather are always much worse.

What scares me is that climate change continues to affect the planet and seems to refuse to admit the social inequality that disproportionately affects people of color. This is not fully said.

The climate crisis is intrinsically associated with racism and inequality, and unless these two issues are addressed in parallel, communities left out of society, or taxpayers, are inevitable. at least Climate change-The most devastating consequences are being felt.

Ethnic minorities are four times more likely to live in areas of the UK at high risk of heat stroke.

Researchers from the University of Manchester and Friends of the Earth have found that one in twelve Whites, compared to one in three Blacks, live in the areas most vulnerable to extreme heat.

The disproportionate consequences for black and brown people in Britain are clear. The average proportion of people of color in high-risk areas was a staggering 28%, compared to the national average of 9.5%.

Locations affect this disparity in densely populated areas, as Black, Asian, and minority communities are more likely to live in towns and cities.

However, inequality in wealth and working conditions is also an important factor.

For example, non-white millennials are more likely to be in precarious employment, less likely to work from home, and more likely to get jobs that involve being outside the home.

Socioeconomic disparities also mean that people with ethnic minority backgrounds have fewer resources to adapt their homes to cope with climate changes.

It is very important to connect these dots. These inequalities are neither random nor isolated. They are intertwined and systematic.

Climate change is an integral part of this bigger picture, a crisis filled with racism and injustice.

Responding to the climate crisis must be mindful of how existing inequality affects communities left out of society. Otherwise nothing will change.

Heat is not the only concern.

An analysis by the Mayor of London in March this year found that the London region, with its high population of blacks, Asians and minorities, is at high risk of climate emergencies such as flooding, air pollution and restricted access. Green Space

This means that for this population, the heat is not just about having some trouble sleeping or having a few hot commutes every summer.

Simply put, extreme heat is deadly, especially for vulnerable and marginalized people.

Late last year, European researchers found that climate change had a “significant” impact on respiratory health. Ethnic minority communities are the most affected.

The study emphasized the importance of addressing existing health inequality, which means that black, Asian and ethnic minority groups are more likely to get sick from poor air quality.

This is not an abstract distant topic for future generations. This is already happening.

Children in London are exposed to higher levels of toxic air, and children in the capital are 4.2% more likely to be hospitalized for higher levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution than anywhere else in the country. ..

A black girl, eight-year-old Ella Kissy Debra, became the first person cited as a cause of death from air pollution in 2019.

While there is clear evidence of a spiraling climate crisis that ensures the most vulnerable members of society are most at risk, this issue is of little agenda for those responsible for running the country.

Listening to the politicians, they use their huge platform to discuss endless tax cuts and identity politics, but deliberately ignoring the fact that the country is virtually on fire, numbers past days filled with anger and mistrust.

The futile view of the Tories leadership contest is busy with Sunack, Trussy and their defeated rivals scraping each other, branded as “anti-vigils” and meeting the demands of a 160,000-strong membership. Climate change.

The final round of MP voting in the contest took place on one of the hottest days the UK has ever seen, but the prime ministerial candidate is at best indifferent to climate change and at best the worst, climate change. We carry out a campaign in favor of.de to turn return Measures to overcome the crisis.

Much has been made about the “diversity” of Conservative leadership candidates, but this remains a classic example of typical political boundaries.

These candidates are eerily silent about the specific needs of the group, which they immediately claim to “represent” in the campaign video.

Dozens of extreme heat effects loom, as do pandemics in which more blacks and browns die from the virus, and the cost-of-living crisis, which already places a greater financial burden on people of color than whites. . I don’t even sit.

Not surprisingly, the government needs to start taking this looming disaster more seriously, but at the same time admit that not all of us are involved in it.

This climate crisis cannot be solved until it addresses the systemic inequality that threatens to put groups left behind in society back on the front lines of disaster.