Daily Camera guest opinion: Guest Nicole Speer: 'No one is safe, until everyone is safe'
Aug. 20—By Nicole Speer
The U.N. climate report released earlier this month was stark, but perhaps not surprising for those of us who have watched the increasing frequency of wildfires and poor air quality across the Front Range over the past two decades.
Usually my neighborhood is filled with children playing, couples walking their dogs, and people working in their gardens. Last week, an eerie silence settled in as the Flatirons disappeared behind the toxic haze.
People who could afford travel and whose jobs were flexible left in search of cleaner air. Those who managed chronic illnesses, had infants or young children, and who were fortunate enough to have housing and office jobs stayed indoors to minimize lung and eye irritation. The majority of the people outside seemed to be those who don't have shelter or who can't stay indoors without losing their income, or those who are young and abled enough to not yet suffer acute effects from air pollution.
We are all suffering in various ways from our unhealthy air, but as we saw last year when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak and already vulnerable populations experienced the highest death rates from the pandemic, it is the most vulnerable among us who are experiencing the worst of this toxic air. They have no choice but to breathe it.
The climate emergency is showing us the need for a fundamental change in how we arrange our social systems to care for each other and our communities on a planet that is in crisis. Our planet will continue to warm until we eliminate greenhouse gas pollution. By committing now to urgent action to bolster climate resilience, we can give ourselves and future generations every possible advantage as this crisis worsens.
Climate resilience refers to the systems we have in place to help our community anticipate and absorb climate-related stressors such as wildfires, floods, and poor air quality, and bounce back from these events when they occur. There is physical infrastructure involved (e.g., flood and wildfire mitigation), but there is also a strong social component.
Social scientists have found that communities with greater equity, inclusion, and greater investments in social infrastructure such as libraries and community centers tend to have better outcomes for residents in the face of extreme weather events. More people survive extreme heat events, for example, when their neighborhoods have community centers and libraries.
These improved outcomes are not only because community spaces offer people a place to go during extreme weather events. Shared spaces help us build relationships with others who might check in on and support us when climate disasters strike.
Disaster mitigation, food and energy sustainability, and housing that fosters community rather than isolation are all important for climate resilience. Equally important is investing in the infrastructure that will make our community more resilient and ensure the most vulnerable among us are protected from the climate crisis.
This is one reason national environmental organizations have begun to emphasize inclusion and justice as foundations of climate work: 21st century environmentalism demands we stop the cycle in which the most vulnerable experience the worst harm from environmental disasters. International organizations such as the World Health Organization have said "no one is safe until everyone is safe," regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The same is true for the climate emergency.
Boulder has long aspired to be a national and international leader on climate. We are well-positioned to demonstrate for the entire world how to create an equitable, sustainable, and resilient community in the midst of the climate crisis.
Recent climate events and the COVID-19 pandemic have spotlighted inequities and shown us who is most vulnerable to the effects of the climate emergency: people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, lower-income workers, infants and children, the elderly, English-language learners, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness.
It is up to us to use this knowledge to drive our community farther and faster toward overcoming these obstacles to climate resilience.
Dr. Nicole Speer is a neuroscientist who has studied human adaptation to new energy technology and mental health services and interventions. She is a candidate for Boulder City Council.
