A climate crisis

The recent record-breaking heat wave on the West Coast, among other extreme weather events, has underscored the urgency of addressing the global climate crisis. Such efforts will require significant action from the federal government, including policies to reduce carbon emissions and adaptation measures to prepare communities for rising sea levels and extreme weather. Too often, however, the US political system interferes with the government’s ability to carry out the significant action required to address the climate crisis.

The United States needs a healthy system of democracy – one that represents the will of the people – in order to combat climate change, which has emerged as a leading voting issue for Americans. This includes repairing the nation's campaign finance system, which has allowed corporations and special interest groups – including big spenders from fossil fuel industries – to wield outsize influence in Washington. And it requires ensuring that communities of color and low-income communities, who often bear the brunt of environmental hazards, aren’t disenfranchised.

The right to vote is a crucial element of a functioning democracy. But in recent years, a surge in voter suppression has threatened America’s progress toward a more inclusive democracy. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Shelby v Holder, which weakened a number of the Voting Rights Act’s key protections, states have accelerated their efforts to pass laws, such as reduced early voting and strict ID requirements, that make it harder for many citizens to vote. These restrictive laws, along with manipulative practices such as extreme gerrymandering, are often designed to target low-income communities of color, threatening their rights to fair political representation.

These are often the same communities that are disproportionately exposed to pollutants and other environmental hazards – along with the associated health consequences, such as a higher risk of certain respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and cancers. And these are the communities that are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of a changing climate, such as extreme heat, rising sea levels, and displacement.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the communities most affected by environmental injustice are those that are most likely to express concern about the climate crisis. Over the past decade, polls have consistently found that people of color – including Black, Latino, and Asian Americans – overwhelmingly support government action on climate change and environmental protection. And, according to a 2017 poll by ecoAmerica, 91 percent of African Americans and 90 percent of Latinos surveyed were ‘personally concerned’ about climate change, compared with 76 percent of people nationwide and 69 percent of white Americans.

Excerpted: ‘The Climate Crisis Demands Democracy Reform’

Commondreams.org