Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States

Abstract

Adverse health outcomes caused by extreme heat represent the most direct human health threat associated with the warming of the Earth's climate. Socioeconomic, demographic, health, land cover, and temperature determinants contribute to heat vulnerability; however, nationwide patterns of residential and race/ethnicity disparities in heat vulnerability in the United States are poorly understood. This study aimed to develop a Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) for the United States; to assess differences in heat vulnerability across geographies that have experienced historical and/or contemporary forms of marginalization; and to quantify HVI by race/ethnicity. Principal component analysis was used to calculate census tract level HVI scores based on the 2019 population characteristics of the United States. Differences in HVI scores were analyzed across the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) “redlining” grades, the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) disadvantaged versus non‐disadvantaged communities, and race/ethnicity groups. HVI scores were calculated for 55,267 U.S. census tracts. Mean HVI scores were 17.56, 18.61, 19.45, and 19.93 for HOLC grades “A”–“D,” respectively. CEJST‐defined disadvantaged census tracts had a significantly higher mean HVI score (19.13) than non‐disadvantaged tracts (16.68). The non‐Hispanic African American or Black race/ethnicity group had the highest HVI score (18.51), followed by Hispanic or Latino (18.19). Historically redlined and contemporary CEJST disadvantaged census tracts and communities of color were found to be associated with increased vulnerability to heat. These findings can help promote equitable climate change adaptation policies by informing policymakers about the national distribution of place‐ and race/ethnicity‐based disparities in heat vulnerability.

Satellite data for environmental justice: a scoping review of the literature in the United States

“…Satellites, such as those from the NASA and USGS landsat program, provide 30-meter spatial resolution enabling analysis of heat inequities with more continuity than possible with ground monitors. Of the 22 articles in this review with a focus on heat, 18 articles use LST or other indices to assess urban heat, heat risk or vulnerability [18, 55-61, 64-69, 71-74] and four articles use modeled air temperature derived from satellite measurements of surface temperature [62,63,70,75].…”

“…The 19 articles had various findings on exposures for minority racial/ethnic groups in different geographies. In thirteen studies, Black, Hispanic and Asian populations had greater exposures to heat in the majority of investigated areas [18,55,58,61,65,66,68,69,72,73,75]. One national study showed that statistically significant racial heat disparities persisted when adjusting for income and when restricting the analysis to smaller rural areas, which are often excluded from heat studies [72].…”

“…One national study showed that statistically significant racial heat disparities persisted when adjusting for income and when restricting the analysis to smaller rural areas, which are often excluded from heat studies [72]. Five studies found that measures of segregation partially explain these thermal inequities for different racial and ethnic groups [18,61,67,68,75]. In contrast, one study in Atlanta found that populations that are historically marginalized (predominantly Black persons with less access to education and wealth) had less exposure to high temperatures, potentially driven by more extensive UTC and less impervious surfaces [74].…”

Building Local Climate Health Equity Into a Resilience Hub Framework

“…Place-based climate health inequities are largely the result of decades of discriminatory policies such as redlining: the intentional concentration of resources and opportunities in predominantly White neighborhoods at the expense of those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and other racial and ethnic minority groups. 11,12 Place-based solutions that deliver community benefits year-round can begin to ameliorate historical deprivation and build social capital and climate resilience. 13,14 Successful initiatives are characterized by a bottom-up approach, whereby outside donors, community development investors, federal/state/local government, and other partners support the communities themselves to identify local problems and priorities and design, manage, and implement solutions.…”

Protecting populations from the health harms of air pollution

“…Such regulation is essential, as ongoing combustion of fossil fuel, coupled with hotter days (leading to more ground level O 3 ) and increasingly common and severe wildfires, pose a serious threat to the universal right to health 202122. Furthermore, areas of socioeconomic disadvantage and those with a high prevalence of minority and other vulnerable groups are already disproportionately affected by poor air quality,20 and faster warming in these areas can exacerbate the inequity further through mechanisms such as increased localized O 3 production 232425. Yet, regulatory standards still rely on geographic averages, rarely accounting for this unequal burden of exposure, let alone synergistic effects.…”