Climate inequities imperil workers and renters

The Climate, Health & Equity Brief is GMMB’s take on the latest news on the current impacts of climate change. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Hot Topic: No respite. This week, a series of stories illuminate the impact of wildfires, hurricanes and extreme heat on America’s workers and renters.

A new study focused on farmworker safety in Sonoma County, California—a wildfire-prone region with over 39,000 acres of agricultural land—found that a program intended to assess the safety of outdoor work during wildfires was hobbled by incomplete information, ad hoc decision-making and weak enforcement, ultimately failing to protect workers who often face intense pressure to work in dangerous conditions. Exposure to wildfire smoke has been shown to increase the risk of heart and lung disease, asthma and dementia. Yet industry-wide, many farmworkers lack English proficiency and face discrimination and exploitation, making it difficult for them to advocate for their own rights.

Realities like these—and a string of recent heat-related on-the-job deaths—have prompted U.S. labor unions and airport, retail, and agricultural workers in 13 cities to demand heat protections from employers and the federal government. Workers organized “Heat Week” rallies, town halls and protests and orchestrated a nationwide water break—a profoundly symbolic act as there is currently no law mandating water breaks for workers, even during extreme heat. Governors Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Ron DeSantis (R-FL) have even passed laws barring cities from enacting local worker heat protections.

And workers aren’t the only vulnerable group facing harmful inequities. Studies find that renters in low-income neighborhoods often struggle to afford housing after weather disasters. Data show that median rent prices shoot up after a hurricane, leaving many tenants unable to renew their leases as landlords seek to capitalize on increased rental demand from displaced homeowners. Adding insult to injury, recent state and local efforts to protect renters have been opposed and even blocked by landlord organizations.

Studies also show that low-income renters also grapple with inadequate protections during extreme heat. A recent Reuters survey of housing regulations in all 50 states found that air conditioning—unlike plumbing, heat, and electricity—is neither required nor considered an essential service for rental units by any state—a situation that can prove deadly. One new study of heat-related deaths in British Columbia found that people living on government assistance were 250% more likely to die during the province’s 2021 heat dome than those with the financial means to seek shelter in cooler spaces, another clear indicator of the need to protect the most vulnerable as climate change intensifies.

Human Health

An estimated 47,000 Europeans died from heat-related causes last year, and a new study found that the death toll could have been 80% higher without the recent heat adaptation measures, including widespread air conditioning and improved public information that kept people indoors and hydrated amid extreme heat. (The New York Times)

A Curtin University study published in BMJ Mental Health found that 260 suicides in Australia over two decades were linked to unusually high temperatures, with a significant increase in risk observed among men aged 55 and above. (Medical Xpress)

According to a new Benha University study published in Nature, climate change increasingly threatens public health through the spread of food-borne diseases, particularly in vulnerable regions like Africa, where increased exposure risk and limited resources make adaptation challenging. (Mongabay)

A University College London survey of 11-14 year-olds in English schools found that girls reported significantly higher levels of anxiety about climate change (44%) than their male counterparts (27%). (Euronews)

Planetary Health

Plant biologists continue to sound the alarm that climate change-induced timing mismatches between flowering plants and pollinators threaten global food security and ecosystem health as earlier springs disrupt critical pollination cycles from alpine meadows to farmlands worldwide. (Grist)

According to the State of Wildfires report, Last year’s climate-fueled wildfires devastated parts of Canada, the Amazon and Greece and released unprecedented CO2 levels—nearly a decade’s worth in Canada alone—transforming carbon sinks into emission sources and underscoring the urgent need for emissions reductions and better wildfire management. (Axios, The Guardian)

Tropical Storm Debby’s recent devastation across multiple Southeast states exposes the region’s acute vulnerability to climate change, highlighting the need for infrastructure adaptation, community support, and political commitment to renewable energy and resilience efforts in the region. (The New York Times)

New research finds that water temperatures in and around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living ecosystem, have risen to their warmest in 400 years, leaving the reef and its diverse ecosystems “facing catastrophe if anthropogenic climate change is not immediately addressed,” according to scientists. (Reuters, Earth.com)

A new study predicts climate change could dramatically shift the ranges of venomous snakes, potentially expanding deadly species into new areas while threatening others with extinction, raising concerns about public health and ecosystem balance. (Mongabay)

Explosive growth in Las Vegas in recent decades has led to an intense urban heat island effect, making the city 20 to 25 degrees hotter than the surrounding desert and resulting in a 179% increase in nights at or above 80 degrees. (The New York Times)

Equity

Air conditioning—unlike plumbing, heat, and electricity—is not required or considered an essential service for rental units by any state, and state and local efforts to establish “cooling mandates” to protect renters have been opposed and even blocked by landlord organizations. (Reuters)

Research shows that 41% of rental units in the U.S. are subject to substantial climate risks, including hurricanes and wildfires, and renters are more likely than homeowners to be displaced or face significant financial hardship in the aftermath of disasters. (Inside Climate News)

A nationwide “Heat Week” campaign led by labor unions and workers is demanding urgent federal and employer action on workplace heat protections as climate change intensifies dangerous working conditions and fatalities across various sectors, including agriculture, retail, and transportation. (Grist)

A new study found that farmworkers often work outdoors through active wildfires—exposing themselves to toxic air—due to a combination of economic necessity and employers taking advantage of unclear policies governing agricultural “essential work” during mandatory evacuations. (AP News)

Governments failed to agree on a timeline for crucial climate science reports at last week’s IPCC meeting, with China, India, Saudi Arabia, Russia, South Africa and Kenya opposing an accelerated schedule due to concerns about a lack of Global South inclusivity, raising fears about the impact on the next global stocktake. (Climate Change News)

As Coastal tribes in the Pacific Northwest face hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses to move their communities to more resilient areas, a new report found that bureaucratic barriers are preventing their access to the government funds meant to help them adapt. (PBS, AP News)

Politics & Economy

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz has been a powerful advocate for climate action, enacting one of the country’s most ambitious climate policies as Governor which requires Minnesota to get all of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040. (The New York Times)

An analysis of Project 2025’s impact on climate efforts found U.S. emissions would increase by 2.7 billion tons—torpedoing the U.S. goal of cutting emissions in half by 2030, costing 1.7 million jobs and delivering a $320 billion hit to the U.S. GDP due to reductions and reversals in clean energy deployment. (The Guardian)

As governments and automakers push for transparency in electric vehicle supply chains, emerging “battery passport” technology aims to trace the origins of critical minerals, ensuring that EVs are free from environmental and human rights abuses while complying with new regulatory standards. (POLITICO)

A new report found that countries including the United States, India, Russia and Japan are on track to double wind energy by 2030 but falling short in their commitment made at COP28 to triple renewable energy by 2030. (AP News)

More than 3.4 million U.S. households claimed at least one of the climate-friendly tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act in 2023, the majority of which went to installing rooftop solar panels, small wind turbines and other renewable energy systems. (The New York Times)

Chief heat, resilience, and sustainability officers across the country are collaborating on proposals to their cities to adapt and reduce risks from extreme heat, but the vast majority have no authority to put the measures in place or require their respective governments to adhere to recommendations. (Grist)

Action

According to a new report, the EU generated more electricity from solar and wind than from fossil fuels in the first half of this year for the very first time. (Canary Media)

The Department of Energy is allocating $85 million—on top of $169 million allocated last year—to accelerate the production of heat pumps at five facilities in New York, Tennessee, Texas and Rhode Island, a move expected to cut energy costs and create more than 500 jobs, nearly half of which will be in disadvantaged communities. (The Hill)

Life as We Know It

Americans say extreme heat is affecting their lives, with 70% facing higher electricity bills, nearly 60% seeing disruptions to their outdoor activities, and double-digit percentages reporting disruptions to their exercise routines, pets, sleep, travel plans, jobs, and the timing of major events like weddings and reunions. (AP News)

Despite escalating climate dangers, more than 300,000 Americans moved to flood- or fire-prone counties last year, driven mainly by the availability and affordability of housing in high-risk areas like Texas and Florida. (The Washington Post)

Severe weather is increasingly disrupting outdoor concerts and festivals, forcing the live music industry to adapt its scheduling, venues, and safety measures during peak season, with some organizers moving events indoors or to cooler months to mitigate unpredictable climate risks. (Rolling Stone)

Kicker

Curious about the prospects for our climate’s future? Take an animated deep dive into the planet’s tipping points and when we are likely to surpass them. (The New York Times)

Extreme heat amplifies inequality, inflames food insecurity and pushes people further into poverty.”

– UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

The GMMB Climate, Health & Equity Brief would not be possible without the contributions of the larger GMMB team—Aaron Benavides, Stefana Hendronetto, Nikki Melamed, Sharde Olabanji and Marci Welford. Feedback on the Brief is welcome and encouraged and should be sent to CHandEBrief@gmmb.com.