Many Black communities in the United States are disproportionately exposed to the impacts of climate change—a risk that can exacerbate already existing racial gaps. Consider New Orleans: according to senior partners Daniel Stephens and Shelley Stewart and colleagues, the potential for damage to the area from hurricanes could double by 2050, with formerly redlined neighborhoods among those likely to experience impacts. Redlining refers to a historic practice that began in the 1930s, when the federal government and banks engaged in systematic discriminatory lending practices targeting residents of urban areas with large concentrations of racial and ethnic minorities, drawing red lines around those neighborhoods. The socioeconomic effects are still felt today.
To read the interactive, see “Impacts of climate change on Black populations in the United States,” November 30, 2023.