Opinion: Health Equity, Climate Justice And The Environment Are Deeply Interconnected

When we think of Lake County, just north of Cook County, the first image that often comes to mind. But it is the second that shows us the challenges we must face as we face health, climate and environmental, social and economic justice barriers for the region's more than 700,000 inhabitants.

Where you live should not affect how long you live. However, in Lake County, as in much of the Chicago area, a history of residential segregation and industrialization still results in systemic inequalities that create environmental and health inequalities. A more obvious legacy of the outbreak. . The pandemic has opened our eyes to the mental and physical health benefits of access to clean air, water and nature.

Our new report Health, Equity, and Nature: Climate Change in Lake County, Illinois is featured in data, but in personal stories, health equity, climate justice, and the environment are closely linked. (You can read the report below.)

The report shows how these problems are exacerbating, disproportionately affecting black and brown communities in northeast Lake County. For example, residents of Lake Forest's affluent North Shore neighborhood live an average of 15 years longer than residents of predominantly black and Hispanic North Chicago across Lake Michigan. It is no coincidence that this geographic disparity in health coincides with decades of society's struggle with toxic waste, groundwater pollution, and pollution from industrial production.

A little further north is Vaughan, with a median household income of $53,778 and a median income of $92,654, and the Clean Power Lake District, a center of community activism fighting for climate justice and helping pass the Illinois Climate and Justice Act. . The JOBS Act and the coal ash pools are still in place to provide a fair transition for a recently closed coal-fired power plant that threatened the drinking water of the entire Lake Michigan basin. Community members have a vision of a fair and sustainable future, but realizing it requires investment in systems and resources.

Research shows that time spent in nature is vital for human health and especially for the development of children. However, access to green space varies in terms of proximity and a sense of security and belonging. In Lake County, nearly half of Black/African American and 31% of Hispanic/Latino respondents expressed concerns about park accessibility, safety, or maintenance, compared to 21% of white respondents. Nearly a quarter of Lake County is Hispanic or Latino, and in some parts of the county this percentage exceeds 50% of residents, but language barriers exclude these people from environmental and health decision-making processes. Including the lack of resources in Spanish.

What can be done to reverse this cycle for the benefit of our society and the planet? The report highlights over 60 actions for individuals, institutions, foundations, companies and politicians. We need to focus our investments on supporting communities affected by air, water and land pollution and climate change, and preventing further hazardous activities. We must encourage community members to have a voice and power in decisions that affect the health of their community. We need to ensure equal access to green and blue zones, which we know are important for safety.

A concerted effort is needed to lead all our communities to the just and sustainable future they deserve.

Katherine Gem is Executive Director of the Ryerson Woods Bush Center , a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing justice and access to nature through community action.

Climate justice is social justice.