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Research to Reveal Hidden Climate Gap Facing Low-Income and People of Color in U.S.
People of color, poor will pay more for basic necessities, experience greater mortality rates during extreme weather events and breathe dirtier air due to climate change
Researchers will also provide analysis on implications for federal climate-change legislation
WASHINGTON DC – A new study being released will uncover a “climate gap” – a hidden pattern showing that people of color and the poor in the United States will suffer more from job loss and negative health impacts due to the climate crisis than other Americans. The research team responsible for uncovering the climate gap will also release an analysis of whether the current draft of proposed federal climate-change legislation will close or widen this gap.
While past research has shown how climate change will disproportionately hurt people in developing nations, “The Climate Gap: Inequalities in How Climate Change Hurts Americans and How to Close the Gap,” is the first to show how climate change will disproportionately impact certain populations in the United States – from increased air pollution and higher prices for basic necessities to job loss.
The report warns that if policymakers don’t work to close the climate gap, it could reinforce and amplify current as well as future socioeconomic and racial disparities. However, the report also highlights policy solutions that both solve climate change and close the climate gap.
