“The 2020 outbreak of COVID-19 has massively disrupted our city, state, and the world at large. In many ways, this crisis foreshadows future risks exacerbated by climate change, where low-income communities, communities of color, and other marginalized groups are hit first and worst by the impacts. Decades of environmental racism have led to disproportionately high rates of respiratory and heart disease in these frontline communities, increasing their vulnerability to the impacts of viruses like COVID-19.2 Our economic system relies on extractive, precarious and low-wage work placing many low-income communities and communities of color in increasingly dire straits with minimal social safety nets. Projections show that the frequency and intensity of pandemics and climate-related disasters will only increase as the planet warms. As New York copes with a state of emergency, the experiences will reveal the extent of the challenges ahead and inform our future planning efforts for the escalating climate crisis.” – NYC Environmental Justice Alliance, Climate Justice Agenda, April, 2020.
Organized by
AIA New York in partnership with NYC-EJA, UCCRN, NYIT, the New School, and Pratt Institute
