Equity and Access to a Clean Environment

Takeaways: How Environmental Inequity Affects Health and Wealth

• Environmental hazards like toxic waste, air pollution and unsafe water disproportionately affect communities of color and low-wealth communities.
• Historical policies such as redlining and discriminatory zoning continue to shape where environmental risks are concentrated today.
• Climate change intensifies existing inequities, increasing exposure to extreme heat, wildfires and severe weather in vulnerable communities.
• Environmental challenges can limit financial stability by affecting property values, health outcomes and long-term economic opportunities.
• Some ways to support environmental justice include staying informed, engaging in policy efforts and taking action in your community.

Everyone should have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. But access to these basic resources isn't equal.

In the U.S., poor communities and communities of color have long been more likely to suffer the effects of pollution. Laws and policies meant to protect the environment, and, by extension, public health, have been unequally applied and, in some cases, unenforced.

Learn how environmental challenges disproportionately affect the physical and financial health of these communities, and how you can get involved in efforts to create more equitable access to a clean environment.

4 Ways Environmental Health Is Linked to Race and Financial Health

Here are four environmental conditions that have an outsized effect on poor communities and communities of color.

1. Toxic Waste

Communities of color are more likely to be exposed to toxic waste. In fact, a seminal study in 1987, Toxic Waste in the United States (PDF), found that race was the main predictor of the location of hazardous waste facilities in the U.S. According to the EPA's study, at that time, more than 15 million African Americans, 8 million Hispanics and half of all Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans resided in communities with at least one abandoned or uncontrolled toxic waste site.

More recent research suggests that once hazardous waste sites were established in a community, polluting industries continued to go back to those locations because it's easier than finding new sites.

A legacy of discriminatory zoning laws and proximity to these sites keep property values lower, which likely contributes to the nearby populations continuing to be poor and people of color.

2. Climate Change

As the average global temperature increases, heat waves, wildfires, intense storms, warming oceans and land desertification are also expected to increase. Poor communities and communities of color are more likely to feel the effects of these climate-related conditions.

• Extreme heat is the underlying or contributing cause of death for more than 700 people a year just in the U.S., according to the CDC, and that number is rising. Poor people are at greater risk because they are more likely to live in buildings without air conditioning and more likely to have underlying medical conditions that make them more vulnerable.
• Wildfires are increasing with more heat and less precipitation. Wildfires are expected to double the area burned by fire by the 2040s, compared with the period from 1916-2006, according to the Washington Department of Health, citing a report by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group. Wildfires increase air pollution for everyone, but communities of color and poor communities are more vulnerable because of ongoing exposure to air pollution and other environmental and health challenges.
• Intense storms statistically cause more damage in poor areas, where homes are likely to have less stable infrastructure, be in flood-prone areas and be near industrial facilities that pose greater risk of chemical spills during natural disasters. Poor residents also are less likely to have high-cost flood insurance and are less likely to be able to afford a move to a lower-risk area.
• Warming oceans lead to ocean acidification and decreased oxygen levels. Ocean acidification prevents some shellfish from forming shells and decreasing oxygen forces marine life to migrate or it will die. Communities such as coastal Native American tribes who traditionally fish are at greater risk of losing this cultural and dietary staple and important source of income.
• Land desertification and degradation is caused by drought and other extreme weather, over-cultivation of crops, over-grazing of livestock, urbanization and deforestation. Land degradation and desertification reduces the amount of land available for food production and causes water sources to dry up. This increases the risks of malnutrition and disease. Respiratory diseases increase from more dust, erosion and other air pollutants. Poor people, who are less able to relocate, are at greater risk.

3. Air Quality

On average, communities of color in the U.S. — especially Black and Latin Americans — live closer to and are exposed to higher levels of air pollution from transportation, coal plants and other high-emission industries. This increased exposure also increases rates of respiratory diseases, reduced lung function and asthma. It also can damage the heart, cause strokes and lead to earlier deaths.

A recent study links this disproportionate exposure to the practice of redlining, a discriminatory government practice from the 1930s of drawing red lines around predominantly Black communities to identify them as high-risk real estate and lending zones. Redlining was outlawed with the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, but the effects have been long-lasting and continue to harm communities of color.

4. Drinking Water Quality

Systemic racism has also created and perpetuates inequities in access to clean drinking water due to aging infrastructure in predominantly non-white communities, according to The Lancet Global Health.

Another report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, found that officials are slower to respond to and enforce drinking water violations in communities of color and poor communities, decreasing access to safe drinking water.

Movement for Environmental Justice

Advocates for equal access to a clean and healthy environment have worked for decades to combat these long-standing problems, sparking the movement for environmental justice. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, environmental justice means "everyone — regardless of race, color, national origin, or income — has the right to the same environmental protections and benefits, as well as meaningful involvement in the policies that shape their communities."

Actions to dismantle environmental racism date back to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, according to NRDC.

It wasn't until 1994, after decades of lawsuits, demonstrations, studies and reports repeatedly proved the links between racism, poverty and pollution, that President Bill Clinton signed an executive order to address environmental injustices (PDF). President Donald Trump rescinded the environmental justice order with an executive order of his own on Jan. 21, 2025.

Get Involved

Here are some ways to learn about environmental justice and engage in efforts to create more equitable access to a clean environment:

• Stay informed: Read environmental news, listen to podcasts and follow organizations that advocate for environmental justice. Look for reporters who cover the environment and government. Many news sources report on bills working their way through the legislative session. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Justice Foundation, and the American Public Health Association are a few national organizations to watch.
• Follow legislation and policy action: Find out what your local, state and federal government are doing to reduce pollution, especially when it comes to low-income communities and communities of color. You can track bills throughout the process. For example, at the federal level, you can search for bills by subject and policy area and by number. In the state of Washington, you can use the Legislature's bill tracker. Contact your elected officials and tell them what action you want them to take.
• Comment on regulations: Help shape environmental regulations by submitting public comments. The EPA website describes how to comment on federal rules and regulations. Look up local and state environmental agencies to learn about their processes, too.
• Join a cleanup effort: Research organizations that are cleaning up areas in your community and volunteer. For example, throughout the month of April, BECU is partnering with Green Tukwila on volunteer cleanup and restoration projects.
• Reduce your footprint: Learn how to live a greener life by reducing your contribution to air, water, soil and climate pollution. For example, EPA suggests steps you can take at home, in your community and with transportation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Related Content