Climate change: the new neighborhood bully

From flooded streets and basements to sunken cars, New Yorkers continue to experience the heaviest and most devastating rainfall they have ever seen in recent years. Every time a flood occurs, it seems as if the deluge is described as “a month of rain.” The weather conditions in the city are getting worse as it reveals that the city is facing a serious climate crisis. There is an increase in heat waves, hurricanes and floods that threaten Brooklyn and its surroundings. Climate change is contributing to worsening weather conditions, threatening the health of Brooklyn’s underserved communities.

Brooklyn has been a place I have called home for the past 13 years. When I moved from the Caribbean at a young age, summers in New York were always the best feeling for me because I experienced summer in a new environment. The summer atmosphere is wonderful, I have memories of children running around in the sun and splashing in the water from the fire hydrant; passing ice cream trucks playing melodious tunes; and all-day amusement park fun at Coney Island, which I looked forward to every summer vacation.

However, in recent years it has been quite difficult to enjoy summers in New York. Summers become hazy and hot and the days are filled with frequent heat waves, making outdoors no longer enjoyable. Additionally, many New Yorkers, like me, have realized that there has been a shift in climate change around the world, especially in Brooklyn.

Climate change is an evolving threat that has been affecting the world for years. New York, like many other places, has experienced the worst of the change. Who is responsible for the increasingly rapid change in weather conditions? That’s right, folks! According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, human activities resulting from greenhouse gases are the leading contributor to climate change and global warming. As a result, weather conditions in the city have deteriorated, causing extreme heat, intense cold temperatures in winter and increased rainfall leading to flooding.

For example, in September 2023, New York experienced more than twelve hours of heavy rainfall, causing extreme flooding across the five boroughs. Based on a report from the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, every municipality received a significant amount of rain, but Brooklyn received more than eight inches of rain that caused extreme flooding in the streets.

In addition to flooding, there is also an increase in heat waves in the summer due to persistently high temperatures. A data collection by the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene found that temperatures in the city consistently averaged between 90 and 100 degrees, and there were multiple heat waves between July and September 2023.

Furthermore, climate change not only impacts the environment, but also causes health-related diseases among vulnerable populations in underserved, low-income communities, people of color, and the elderly. Due to health disparities, they are even more susceptible to the health-related diseases of the climate crisis than the general population.

Consider, for example, the impact of heat waves on the vulnerable population. According to the New York Mayor’s Office of Climate Change and Environmental Justice, heat waves in New York City are expected to worsen five times by 2080, making the vulnerable population more likely than ever to develop heat-related illnesses. in the future.

Black people in low-income communities in Brooklyn are at greater risk of exposure due to a lack of air conditioning, access to health care and insurance, and poor housing quality compared to the white population. Not only are Black people in low-income communities more susceptible to the effects of heat waves, but Black pregnant women are also at risk. When pregnant women are exposed to extreme heat, they are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure and eclampsia. This is troubling, especially because black women have a higher maternal mortality rate compared to white and Hispanic women.

As precipitation increases across Brooklyn, the impact of flooding on vulnerable populations is raising concerns. Floods can cause vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever due to stagnant and warm water. Concerns have been raised about older people who already suffer from chronic health conditions contracting these diseases because their immune systems are compromised. Additionally, flooding can cause infrastructure destruction, which can ultimately impact access to care and services, especially for vulnerable populations in underserved communities.

The New York State Department of Health is taking an initiative to combat the ongoing climate problem and its direct correlation to the health of individuals through the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects project. The objectives of this project are to implement preventive measures to reduce the risk of climate change on the health of citizens, especially those who are more susceptible to the effects of climate change. This will benefit residents of New York City, especially Brooklyn, who come from low-income and minority communities, where policies to combat such problems can help improve health care equity.

As Brooklyn’s climate continues to change, the impact it has on Brooklyn will continue to increase. We as Brooklynites can work together with state and local governments to help prevent the worsening impacts of climate change on the environment and the people of Brooklyn. So it starts with us: let’s make a change and fight climate change!

Kareece Ambris is a graduate student studying public health at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.