Racial Disparities in Climate Change-Related Health Effects in the United States

• Published in: Current environmental health reports Vol. 9; no. 3; pp. 451 - 464
• Main Authors: Berberian, Alique G., Gonzalez, David J. X., Cushing, Lara J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.09.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cardiovascular diseases; Child; Children; Climate Change; Early Life Environmental Health (H Volk and J Buckley; Early Life Environmental Health (H Volk and J Buckley, Section Editors); Emergency medical care; Emergency medical services; Environmental Health; Environmental impact; Environmental justice; Environmental risk; Extreme cold; Extreme weather; Floods; Global warming; Health disparities; Heat; Heat stress; Heat tolerance; Humans; Hurricanes; Medicine/Public Health; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Occupational health; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Race factors; Section Editors; Topical Collection on Early Life Environmental Health; United States - epidemiology; Weather; Wildfires; United States; New York; Alaska; Puerto Rico; United States > US; Health equity; Global warming; Environmental racism; Environmental justice; Health disparities
• ISSN: 2196-5412; 2196-5412
• DOI: 10.1007/s40572-022-00360-w

Purpose of Review Climate change is causing warming over most parts of the USA and more extreme weather events. The health impacts of these changes are not experienced equally. We synthesize the recent evidence that climatic changes linked to global warming are having a disparate impact on the health of people of color, including children. Recent Findings Multiple studies of heat, extreme cold, hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires find evidence that people of color, including Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, and Asian communities are at higher risk of climate-related health impacts than Whites, although this is not always the case. Studies of adults have found evidence of racial disparities related to climatic changes with respect to mortality, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, mental health, and heat-related illness. Children are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change, and infants and children of color have experienced adverse perinatal outcomes, occupational heat stress, and increases in emergency department visits associated with extreme weather. Summary The evidence strongly suggests climate change is an environmental injustice that is likely to exacerbate existing racial disparities across a broad range of health outcomes.