Since his inauguration, President Trump has wasted no time putting our nation in jeopardy. His staff had barely begun unpacking boxes in the Oval Office when he started signing reckless executive orders, decrees that endanger not only our nation but Americans at a local level. This especially applies to disadvantaged communities that will suffer disproportionately from threats to health care, immigrant rights and environmental policies, to name a few.
Amid the onslaught of the president’s appalling falsehoods is his denial of the insidious threat of climate change. This “alternative” notion is both dangerous and misguided.
Scientific evidence proves that climate change has been negatively impacting our planet and our communities for decades. When powerful people ignore these facts, they directly endanger everyone, especially in our most vulnerable communities. Disenfranchised people need to be seen, heard and protected, and they deserve leaders who will fight for environmental justice.
The consequences of environmental injustice are among my earliest and most vivid memories. When I was growing up in a Latino community in the Rio Grande Valley south of Albuquerque, N.M., members of my family drank polluted water from shallow wells that were not regulated and were polluted by agricultural chemicals and leaking underground gas tanks. Several of my aunts, uncles and cousins were among the many local people who suffered from kidney disease and other severe illnesses that I believe were a direct result of our community’s water supply.
I still witness this kind of environmental injustice here in California. I’ve seen first-hand the profound impact of pollution on public health and quality of life, with families suffering just as mine did. We must eliminate disparities in health and well-being and work toward a fair and just society where all people can thrive.
As a member of the LGBT community and the leader of Equality California, I and my organization fights for marginalized communities. While not all LGBT folks are disenfranchised, our community experiences profound disparities in health and wellbeing and socioeconomic status compared to the general public.
Members of every community include people who are LGBT. We are immigrants, people of color and every religious faith. Because of this, we often experience double discrimination: first from a lack of acceptance because of our sexual orientation or gender identity, and second from being a member of another marginalized community facing discrimination. As a result, we are twice as likely to be living in poverty compared to the general public — 16 times more likely in the case of our transgender friends.
The LGBT community — along with immigrants and people of color — face discriminatory barriers when we are denied housing and employment. In most major cities, 4 out of 10 homeless youth are LGBT. We are more likely to be exposed to polluted air and water and our community suffers barriers to healthcare, leading us to suffer disproportionately from illness. We score poorly in almost every measure of community health.
Environmental issues do not exist in a vacuum. They’re our social issues, as well.
It goes without saying that progress will not be easy under a Trump presidency. That’s why we need leaders now more than ever to stand up for environmental protections; because when we make these policies stronger, we move to safeguard our most vulnerable. Clean air, water and energy are important rights to secure for everyone, but they are particularly critical for disadvantaged communities.
California needs to be our country’s leader in environmental justice and protect the laws at risk under the Trump administration. We have a duty to lead the nation by showing that respect for all people — no matter their race, gender, religion, geography, sexual orientation or gender identity — is the way forward.
We need all of our legislators, without exception, to be champions in the fight to support climate change laws. We need strong, quick, bold action, and we need it now.
Rick Zbur, a one-time congressional candidate in the Long Beach area, is executive director of Equality California and an attorney who has advocated for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and environmental causes.
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20170520/pollution-discriminates-its-time-to-fight-back-guest-commentary
