Environment

Opinion: Can California Protect Frontline Communities from Climate Change?

Published

7 years ago

September 9, 2017

By Sona Mohnot

In the last five years, San Jose has seen severe drought followed by the worst floods in a century and, to top it off, record breaking temperatures. These extreme weather events are not unique to the Bay Area, but are happening all around California as well as the U.S. and the world. Climate change makes them more common and more severe.

Although California is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it won’t stop global warming. We can slow down extreme weather events like those in San Jose, but communities will continue to feel the impacts of climate change no matter how much we curb emissions.
The weather conditions brought on by climate change — like flooding, heatwaves and wildfires — can affect everyday life for people. Californians face the increasing likelihood of power outages, displacement, increased costs for electricity and food, contaminated drinking water, worsened air pollution and increased asthma rates.

While climate change impacts will affect everyone, low income communities and communities of color will be hit hardest. These frontline communities already spend as much as 25 percent of their entire income on just food, electricity and water, which is much more than most Americans. They face a greater risk for heat-related illness and death.And while air conditioning and transportation could alleviate extreme heat impacts, many people of color and low-income resident lack access to air conditioning or cars to escape hot days. Often located in areas with severe air pollution, these communities will also breathe even dirtier air as smog increases due to climate change.

So, what is California doing to ensure frontline communities are prepared to handle the impacts of climate change and continue to thrive?

Well, the state developed a climate adaptation strategy, called the “Safeguarding California Plan.” The plan covers 10 sectors, including energy, transportation, public health, water and forests. For each sector, the plan discusses what the state is currently doing to address climate adaptation, what must be done, and how the state plans to accomplish those goals.

The plan covers a lot of ground, but focuses heavily on the vulnerability of built infrastructure (e.g. roads, highways and energy facilities) and natural systems like wetlands, forests, and agricultural lands.

The plan does little to prioritize community vulnerability. For instance, are cooling centers available on hot days for communities lacking access to air conditioning?

Are emergency evacuation routes available for people without vehicles? What is the emergency response system to warn people of extreme weather events in rural or hard to reach communities? What measures are in place to prevent displacement?

Recognizing the need to address these issues, the Resources Legacy Fund brought together several environmental justice, public health and climate equity organizations, including Greenlining, to create a Climate Justice Working Group.

The working group provided recommendations to the state as it updated the Safeguarding California Plan earlier this year. We also just released a set of climate justice principles and recommendations that go beyond “Safeguarding California.” We believe the state should include the recommendations in all climate adaptation policies it develops.

Here’s an overview:
• The state should prioritize the protection of essential facilities that provide health care, food, and emergency shelter; bring economic opportunities into frontline communities and avoid negative consequences such as displacement.
• The state should conduct community vulnerability assessments to identify what make a community vulnerable. The assessments can inform strategies to build community resilience.
• Importantly, the state should meet with and actively engage frontline communities to include their voice in all climate adaptation plans.
• The state should identify at least $1 billion by 2020 and $10 billion by 2025 to accomplish climate resilience goals.

To hear what communities have to say about climate change, the Resources Legacy Fund and EMC Research conducted a survey of 800 California voters of color. Sixty-one percent of these voters say climate change poses a major threat to low-income communities, and 85 percent want their elected officials to develop stronger policies to help their community prepare for the impacts of climate change.

The recently passed extension of California’s cap-and-trade program designates climate adaptation as a priority that must get funding from cap-and-trade revenue. Since climate adaption will get funding, this is an opportune time for the state to think about incorporating the Climate Justice Working Group’s recommendations into its policies — especially since voters of color want to see policies that address community vulnerability. Officials must listen to the voices of the communities hit first and worst, and make sure that we build up the resiliency of those communities and don’t accidentally increase poverty and displacement.

Sona Mohnot is Greenlining’s Environmental Equity Manager.

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Bay Area

East Bay Regional Park District Issues Rattlesnake Advisory

The East Bay Regional Park District released an advisory today on rattlesnakes, which emerge from winter hibernation in early spring and become more active. Warm weather can bring more potential for rattlesnake encounters with humans and dogs, particularly along trails and roads.

Published

5 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is the species found in East Bay Regional Parks. Courtesy photo.

The Richmond Standard

The East Bay Regional Park District released an advisory today on rattlesnakes, which emerge from winter hibernation in early spring and become more active.

Warm weather can bring more potential for rattlesnake encounters with humans and dogs, particularly along trails and roads.

Visitors are encouraged to avoid hiking alone in case of an emergency, to scan the ground ahead as they walk, jog or ride, stay on trails avoiding tall grass, and to look carefully around and under logs and rocks before sitting down. Keep your dog on your leash to be extra safe, park officials said.

If you encounter a rattlesnake, leave it alone – it is unlawful to capture or harm one. Move carefully and slowly away or around it and give it plenty of space, park officials said.

Those who are bitten by a rattlesnake are instructed to stay calm by lying down with the affected limb lower than the heart, then having someone call 911.

Getting medical attention is critical.

Those bitten should not use tourniquets, “sucking,” or snake bite kits. If you are by yourself, walk calmly to the nearest source of help to dial 911, do not run.

If bitten by any other type of snake, wash the wound with soap and water or an antiseptic and seek medical attention.

Not sure what bit you? Check the bite for two puncture marks (in rare cases one) associated with intense, burning pain, which is typical of a rattlesnake bite. Other snakebites can leave marks without associated burning pain.

The Northern Pacific rattlesnake is the species found in East Bay Regional Parks. Snakes are important to the natural environment, helping to control rodents and other reptile populations. But enjoy them from afar.

For more information, download the Park District’s Common Snakes brochure or watch our Gopher Snake or Rattlesnake video to learn how to tell the difference between rattlesnakes and gopher snakes. Additional information is available at ebparks.org/safety/wildlife-encounters.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland’s ‘Green the Church,’ Others, Host a Climate Revival

On April 20, Oakland’s Green The Church California (GTC) and the Center For Food, Faith and Justice will celebrate Earth Day and present a Climate Revival event titled “Growing Healthy Communities From Soil To The Soul” at McGee Avenue Baptist Church at 1640 Stuart St, Berkeley, CA. The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

The revival will take place at McGee Avenue Baptist Church in Berkeley on April 20. Courtesy image.

Growing Healthy Communities from Soil to the Soul in Berkeley

By Y’Anad Burrell

The day will include inspiring talks, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and a special panel on Food Sovereignty and Global Food Resilience.

The keynote speaker is Rev. Danté R. Quick, PhD, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J. Quick is well known in the Bay Area, having served for more than 10 years as pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Vallejo, CA.

Green The Church, founded in 2010 by Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr., and headquartered in Oakland, helps galvanize Black churches and their local communities and leaders to address issues critical to populations historically disengaged from conversations around pollution and health, climate change, and sustainability and energy efficiency.

The organization collaborates with major environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, and is committed to “creation justice”—care and justice for God’s people and the planet—and building the Beloved Community.

Environmental justice has long been a pressing concern for communities of color who bear the brunt of pollution and ecological degradation. Climate change exacerbates these issues, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. Recognizing this urgency, Black churches across the country are taking action.

With deep roots in the African American community and its commitment to social justice, the Black Church has become an essential advocate for sustainable practices and policies.

Over the past 14 years, in a powerful collaboration with significant environmental, sustainability, food security, faith, and community-based non-profit organizations, GTC has created a cadre of Black churches engaging in the environmental justice, climate, and sustainability movement.

GTC presently works with more than 1,000 pastors and congregations across the U.S., and groups in the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK, showing that we can make a difference together.

The partnership between environmental justice advocates and the Black Church extends beyond individual congregations. Green The Church provides resources and support for faith communities seeking to address climate change and promote environmental justice.

Through collaboration, initiatives such as energy efficiency programs, solar installations, and environmental education have been implemented in Black churches nationwide. These efforts reduce the carbon footprint and save money on energy bills, benefiting the congregations and their communities.

The involvement of the Black Church in the fight against climate change is not just a participation, it’s a powerful message that galvanizes action across communities.

By integrating environmental justice into their ministry, Black churches are demonstrating that addressing climate change is not only a matter of science but also of social and moral responsibility, inspiring change at a grassroots level.

For more information, go to: www.greenthechurch.org.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Richmond’s Growing Bay Trail Boasts Bountiful Beauty

The Standard recently enjoyed a sunny-day stroll through Richmond’s Barbara and Jay Vincent Park and an exquisite section of the city’s ample share of San Francisco Bay Trail. Near Vincent Park’s entrance, the Bay Trail offers locals a front-row view of Richmond’s Marina, with an eclectic mix of boats and some of the city’s shoreline eateries like Lara’s Fine Dining and Anh Restaurant & Bar.

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Richmond has over 32 miles of shoreline, more than any other city on San Francisco and San Pablo bays. Photo by Kathy Chouteau.

By Kathy Chouteau
The Richmond Standard

When was the last time you used the Bay Trail in Richmond?

The Standard recently enjoyed a sunny-day stroll through Richmond’s Barbara and Jay Vincent Park and an exquisite section of the city’s ample share of San Francisco Bay Trail.

Near Vincent Park’s entrance, the Bay Trail offers locals a front-row view of Richmond’s Marina, with an eclectic mix of boats and some of the city’s shoreline eateries like Lara’s Fine Dining and Anh Restaurant & Bar.

Stroll further into the park on the trail and you’ll spy the Craneway Pavilion and Rosie the Riveter Park’s Visitor Center across the water, as well as ample geese—and if your timing is right—a few sailboarders getting ready to launch into San Francisco Bay.

A great kids’ playground and BBQ grills also await in the well-used park. Follow the trail around the western bend to see the park’s small but picturesque beach and clear-day views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and more. The Bay Trail will lead you to Berkeley and beyond if you’ve got the energy.

To this reporter, who has spent lots of time here, Vincent Park and the Bay Trail are some of Richmond’s most stunning outdoor gifts for its people.

‘Gifts’ because our outdoor views don’t cost a thing yet deliver a quiet joy ready to reenergize you for the week. And for your kids and four-legged friends, there’s a world of sea creatures, shells, and other outdoor ephemera to discover after a dig in the sand.

Take it from someone who originally hails from a land-enclosed state, and a city where the most interesting hyper-local views were of the Bethlehem Steel mill in Bethlehem, Pa.

While my native city’s steel might have been used to build the Golden Gate Bridge and WWII ships, and this reporter has deep love for her hometown, trust me when I say that people in ‘the Rich’ are privy to some of the best views I’ve ever seen in our country.

According to the Trails for Richmond Action Committee (TRAC), Richmond has more than 32 miles of shoreline, which is more than any other city on San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. The Bay Trail currently has more than 300 miles completed of 500 planned for the trail around both bays. Enjoy Richmond’s bounty!

Want to learn more about the Bay Trail in Richmond? Check out TRAC.