How Climate Change Affects LatinX Communities

Climate change is arguably the most important global issue humanity is facing. It is evident that the climate is drastically changing. In California alone we have been bombarded with an unnatural amount of rain this year. Although water is great for us, we have not prepared for it so it has led to a lot of damages like flooding, destruction of property and preventing people from working. Unfortunately, not everyone is affected equally by climate change. Latino communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and some might not even realize it.

What is Climate Change

Essentially climate change is a shift in the weather pattern. These shifts are primarily caused by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, which release large amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. These gasses trap heat from the sun, leading to a rise in average global temperatures and a range of impacts, such as more frequent and severe weather events, rising sea levels, and changes to ecosystems and wildlife habitats. Overall, it is bad news and we need to do whatever we can to not make it worse.

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The Effect on Latino Communities 

Often Latino people live in areas that disproportionately force them to deal with climate change. Some areas are affected differently based on their geography. For instance coastal communities deal with ocean related issues while more landlocked communities deal with wildfires.  Paraguay and Bolivia are the only countries in Central and South America to be landlocked meaning every other Latin country has to deal with how climate change affected the ocean. Coastal areas are vulnerable to sea-level rise and more frequent and intense hurricanes, which can cause devastating damage to homes and communities. As temperatures warm and glaciers and ice caps melt, sea levels are rising. This can lead to more frequent and severe coastal flooding, inundation of low-lying areas, and erosion of beaches and coastal infrastructure. Higher sea levels can increase the impacts of storms, leading to more severe storm surges that can cause significant damage to coastal communities and infrastructure. In 2017, hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and ended up killing thousands of people. What makes it worse is that oftentimes Latin American countries do not have the financial means to recover from these environmental issues.  

Furthermore, Latinos living in the U.S. are also being disproportionately affected. Oftentimes, Latino people work outdoor jobs such as construction or farming. They are consistently exposed to extreme sunlight that leads to skin cancer, heat stroke and more heat-related illnesses. In addition, Latinos tend to live in places where air pollution is extremely bad which can lead to respiratory illnesses. Furthermore, agricultural businesses like farms are extremely vulnerable to climate change. One flood can mess up a lot of their crops and they won’t have the money to pay their workers. Unfortunately, latino people are often working these farms and they have to face these consequences.

Climate change is horrible and unfair.  Among the top 10 nations contributing  to pollution, no Latin American country is ranked there, yet they deal with its consequences so much which is simply unfair.