Climate action key in fight for racial justice
When discussing ongoing climate issues in Connecticut, it’s important to highlight how climate intersects with health equity across the state. Combating climate change is particularly critical in my district of Hartford and Windsor, where residents suffer from racial inequity, heavy air pollution and high asthma rates.
While Connecticut made major strides in the fight toward health equity this past session through the passage of SB 1, we still have a long way to go. SB 1 declared racism a public health crisis in Connecticut and seeks to shed more light on the issues and causes surrounding the intersection of racism and health. This legislation will gather and analyze data, and design and implement a strategy to address the disproportionate impact of past policies on the most vulnerable communities throughout Connecticut. Some of the most harmful effects of those past policies inconspicuously circulate in the air we breathe daily and drive more of our neighbors to the hospital in a time where hospital bed availability has been limited due to COVID-19.
Connecticut must act now to address the negative public health outcomes of climate change by passing and implementing the Transportation Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P) in a special session this month. The program collects funds to reinvest in sustainability efforts, specifically transportation improvements throughout Connecticut cities. TCI-P achieves this by setting a cap on emissions and limiting the amount of fossil fuel allowances companies can buy; therefore, holding the fuel wholesalers accountable for the pollution they create.
Early last month, I hosted a panel discussion with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection commissioner, Katie Dykes, that brought experts, leaders and stakeholders to the virtual table to engage in a broad discussion on public health and climate. This conversation among a diverse group of state entities, climate specialists, health strategy leaders and passionate advocates created a path forward: a unified approach that puts Connecticut families first by targeting the leading causes of health issues in our state and pursuing multidisciplinary policies that tackle these causes at the source.
The group identified TCI-P as an effective solution to tackle the rapid acceleration of climate change and its devastating impact on our public health. TCI-P is a direct effort to shift away from the policy mistakes of the past and start moving toward an equitable future for residents in Connecticut cities like Hartford and across the state.
The costs of climate change are disproportionately borne by working families in communities of color. TCI-P is the first major climate policy to explicitly direct hundreds of millions in accrued funding to distressed municipalities that have been impacted the most by climate change. It’s unfortunate that TCI-P did not receive a final vote during this past legislative session given that the proceeds from the program could generate $1 billion toward urban sustainability investments. At least
50% of this money will be dedicated solely to communities like Hartford, which have been historically underserved by the transportation system and overburdened by air pollution. Additionally, investments will be advised by the EEJAB (Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Board) to ensure individuals in the community have a voice in the decision-making process.
While this program might result in a small increase in price at the gas pump, cities and towns would have cleaner air, newer bus systems, investments in roads, sidewalk and bicycle lane improvements, and overall healthier lives. Furthermore, this increase at the gas pump will not impact nearly half of Connecticut residents in our cities who have limited or no vehicle access. For those families who do drive, they will see significant improvements to sustainability investments throughout their city, and as a result, significant improvements to public health. The financial cost of TCI-P is far less costly than the price of detrimental public health through issues, such as asthma, caused by air pollution and climate change.
As we work together toward solutions to some of our state’s most pressing issues — race, climate and public health — it is critical to take another step forward and consider how TCI-P can help clean the air in our cities and invest in our state’s future while keeping our most vulnerable state residents safe and out of the hospital. This is not just a climate program — it’s a racial justice program if designed properly and implemented soon.