The Climate-Ready Home: Teaching Climate Change in the Context of Asthma Management

Abstract

More than 330 million people around the world suffer from asthma, a chronic respiratory disease that is produced by environmental conditions such as air pollution, mold, and seasonal change. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, high asthma prevalence rates and poor asthma control is attributed to urban air pollution and substandard housing, both of which will be made worse by climate change in the Mid-Atlantic region. Climate change will increase air pollution, worsen indoor environmental conditions, and bring more unpredictable weather, all of which will make asthma more difficult to manage. This article describes a public education project designed to teach vulnerable local communities about climate change and its impact on asthma management. The Climate Ready Philly project provided basic information on the mechanisms of global climate change, presented research on how climate change would impact the city of Philadelphia, and facilitated hands-on activities to help workshop participants learn what they could do to address climate change at home. Our workshops paired healthy homes and energy efficiency strategies, for example, to explore relationships between outdoor and indoor environments, as well as impacts on occupant health. By utilizing climate learning science, our workshops allowed participants to explore relationships between existing health and environmental conditions-such as asthma-and the anticipated impacts of climate change. Using surveys, interviews, and ethnographic data collection, we found that more resources are needed to repair housing infrastructure and help low-income community members access resources that can improve indoor air quality. We conclude by highlighting the need for climate adaptation programs that provide support for housing, in addition to other public infrastructures, which will be needed to reduce the burden of asthma in Philadelphia.

Participatory research in energy justice: guiding principles and practice

“…Hands-on workshops supported participants in connecting global climate change processes (e.g. GHG emissions) to household systems (Kenner et al 2020).…”

“…Context-Our second case study focuses on The Energy Rights Project (ERP), which was part of long-term, community-engaged research (CEnR) conducted by Kenner (2013Kenner ( -2023. ERP was designed based on findings from a 5 year, community-based climate education project that used informal science education as a participatory method (Kenner et al 2020); collaborators included staff members from frontline organizations focused on public health, social and environmental justice (Adams et al 2022). Eighteen workshops were held in community locations that included public libraries, senior centers, and churches; these were held in as many different neighborhoods and drew more than 400 participants between 2014 and 2019.…”