In the midst of the COVID epidemic in California, stay-at-home orders were issued to Californians. A group of interdisciplinary researchers, including Luke Sanford (Yale School of the Environment Assistant), began discussing an idea. They observed the quiet on the roads and asked: How does the reduction in pollution from sources like transportation affect different communities? Can this sudden change help them understand why low-income and non-white communities have worse air quality?
A policymaker’s problem is that they don’t know the source of pollution disparity. Sanford states that we don’t know if it’s from power generation, businesses, highways, roads, or agricultural production. California has a significant amount of air pollution. The COVID shutdown was like an enormous switch that shut down 90% of transportation.
The shutdown orders for the states, which took effect in March 2020 were some of the most restrictive in this country. The study’s researchers were able to show that the different impacts cannot be explained simply by weather patterns, income, geography, or local economic activity.
Sanford claims that after we had accounted for all the other factors which were known to have different pollution impacts, it was clear that Hispanic, Latinx and Asian people were more exposed.
The analysis of the teamsPublished in the journal Nature SustainabilityAccording to a study, air pollution in California is well-regulated. However, environmental policy does not protect all communities equally. Sheltering in Place produced significant air pollution reductions for Hispanics as well as low-income communities. They are most affected by pollution from the in-person economy. This includes activities like shopping, going to restaurants, bars, and going to work.
California has a legacy of institutional and structural racism that continues to be detrimental to many residents’ health.
Sanford says that California has a legacy of institutional and structural racism that continues to be detrimental to the health of many residents.
Surprisingly, income was not the main driver of these disparate effects.
According to Jennifer Burney, co-author and the Marshall Saunders Endowed Chair for Global Climate Policy and Research at The School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego, only 15% of the disproportionately lower levels of air pollution experienced by Hispanic and Asian communities during the shutdown can be attributed to income. This may surprise many, as people tend to confuse income and race. This is because it is difficult to face systemic discrimination and because it is easier to buy cleaner air by living in areas with higher housing prices.
The satellite records of nitrogen dioxide and ground monitoring networks for respirable particle matter were used in the study. Demographic, geographic, mobility, and demographic data were used to calculate how much race and ethnicity contributed to the changes in air pollution exposures during the shutdown. The computer model was used by the research team to predict pollution levels based on temperature, precipitation and relative humidity. These are the key atmospheric conditions that influence pollution levels.
Pascal Polonik, a Scripps Institute of Oceanography PhD student, was co-author of this study. He noted the importance of the pollution sensors for gathering data in impacted areas and accessing the information.
To ensure everyone has access to democratic processes, it is important that communities are engaged in meaningful ways. Crowdsourced sensors such as the ones used in this study could improve information access and help communities make informed decisions. He states that these sensors are usually located in places that are least likely to be impacted from unjustified pollution exposure.
The data analysis revealed that policies that reduce transportation emissions could have significant environmental justice impacts on California’s Hispanic and Asian communities. For example, communities that are closer to highways are more likely to be impacted by pollution from transportation.
Sanford says that people who live in communities with highways running through them are at risk of being exposed to the transportation emissions of others.
The authors note that the study does not show that there is a standard or test that can be used to ensure that air pollution sources that are new or existing do not perpetuate environmental injustice. They believe that such a test, along with increased availability of air quality data, and community input, could lead to a more just future.
