redlining
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Denver's minority neighborhoods face higher air pollution levels
A recent study highlights the disproportionate impact of air pollution on communities of color in Denver.
In short:
- The study identifies Denver neighborhoods like Globeville, Argo, Elyria-Swansea, and Chaffee Park as the most polluted.
- It reveals a pattern of environmental inequality, with higher pollution levels in areas predominantly inhabited by minorities. Transportation infrastructure, like highways constructed through or near such communities, were among the pollution sources.
- This situation echoes historical redlining practices, now manifested in environmental terms.
Key quote:
“Every city has a story of why people live where they do, and that affects who is affected most by pollution."
— Alex Bradley, chemistry graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder
Why this matters:
It's not just about air quality; it's about how historical and systemic inequalities continue to impact health outcomes in minority communities. For example, redlining, a discriminatory policy from the 1930s, has led to a disproportionate concentration of oil and gas wells in neighborhoods that were redlined -- making this a climate justice issue.
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