Climate Change's Unequal Impacts | State of California - Department of Justice

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As the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment stated in its 2013 report, the adverse impacts of climate change are expected disproportionately to affect those who are socially and economically disadvantaged, including the urban poor, the elderly, children, traditional societies, agricultural workers and rural" /> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (http://drupal.org)" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://oag.ca.gov/environment/climate-change/unequal-impacts" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://oag.ca.gov/node/408" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://oag.ca.gov/environment/climate-change/unequal-impacts" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Climate Change's Unequal Impacts" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Global warming will not affect everyone equally. As the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment stated in its 2013 report, the adverse impacts of climate change are expected disproportionately to affect those who are socially and economically disadvantaged, including the urban poor, the elderly, children, traditional societies, agricultural workers and rural populations. Disproportionate impacts can occur where certain groups lack the social and economic resources necessary to relocate to avoid impacts, or to purchase the technology necessary to adapt to our changing climate." /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2017-07-20T15:20:43-07:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://oag.ca.gov/sites/default/files/oag-opengraph.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://oag.ca.gov/environment/climate-change/unequal-impacts" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Climate Change's Unequal Impacts" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Global warming will not affect everyone equally. 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}); </script> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="row"> </div> </div> <div class="main-container container"> <div class="row"> <section class="col-sm-9"> <a id="main-content"></a> <h1 class="page-header">Climate Change's Unequal Impacts</h1> <ol class="breadcrumb"><li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/environment" class="active-trail">Environment & Public Health</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/climate-change" class="active-trail">Climate Change</a></li> <li class="active">Climate Change's Unequal Impacts</li> </ol> <div class="region region-content"> <div id="block-system-main" class="block block-system"> <div class="content"> <div id="node-408" class="node node-page clearfix" about="/environment/climate-change/unequal-impacts" typeof="foaf:Document"> <span property="dc:title" content="Climate Change's Unequal Impacts" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span><span property="sioc:num_replies" content="0" datatype="xsd:integer" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span> <div class="content clearfix"> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div style="float: right; margin: 0px 0 10px 15px"><img src="/sites/all/files/agweb/images/environment/img_17.jpg" height="400px" alt="A farm worker inspecting grapes on a vine."></div> <p>Global warming will not affect everyone equally. As the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment stated in its <a href="http://www.oehha.ca.gov/multimedia/epic/2013EnvIndicatorReport.html" target="_blank">2013 report</a>, the adverse impacts of climate change are expected disproportionately to affect those who are socially and economically disadvantaged, including the urban poor, the elderly, children, traditional societies, agricultural workers and rural populations. Disproportionate impacts can occur where certain groups lack the social and economic resources necessary to relocate to avoid impacts, or to purchase the technology necessary to adapt to our changing climate. According to a 2009 <a href="http://www.energy.ca.gov/2009publications/CEC-500-2009-038/CEC-500-2009-038-F.PDF" target="_blank">report</a> by California’s Climate Change Center, “[w]ithout proactive policies to address these equity concerns, climate change will likely reinforce and amplify current as well as future socioeconomic disparities, leaving low-income, minority, and politically marginalized groups with fewer economic opportunities and more environmental and health burdens.” The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is <a href="http://www.oehha.ca.gov/multimedia/climate/Climate.html" target="_blank">continually studying</a> the human health impacts of climate change and updating its reports and research.</p> <p>In California, the Attorney General and state agencies are committed to addressing climate change for the benefit of all residents. Reducing our global warming emissions will not only reduce the risk of dangerous climate change, but also will provide important co-benefits. For example, the California Air Resources Board estimates that implementing the <a href="http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/document/adopted_scoping_plan.pdf" target="_blank">Scoping Plan for AB 32, pdf</a>, California's greenhouse gas reduction law, will result in considerable reductions of particulate matter (soot) and nitrogen oxide emissions, resulting in 780 fewer premature deaths, 11,000 fewer cases of asthma-related and other lower respiratory system problems, and economic savings of $4.4 million by 2020. In its <a href="http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/document/updatedscopingplan2013.htm" target="_blank">First Update</a> to the Scoping Plan, approved in May 2014, the California Air Resources Board continued to emphasize the health benefits of the measures being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions</p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>    </section> <aside class="col-sm-3" role="complementary"> <div class="region region-sidebar-second"> <div id="block-block-127" class="block block-block"> <div class="content"> <div class="CS"> <h4>Environment & Public Health</h4> <ul class="CSList"> <li><a href="/environment">Environment & Public Health Home</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/contact">Environmental Complaints</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/aliso">Aliso Settlement Portal</a></li> <li><a href="/plastics">Plastics</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="CS"> <h4>Environmental Justice</h4> <ul class="CSList"> <li><a href="/environment/justice">Environmental Justice Home</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/sb1000">Environmental Justice in Local Land Use Planning</a></li>  <li><a href="/environment/communities/policies">Health in All Policies</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/greenwashing">Greenwashing</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="CS"> <h4>California Environmental Quality Act</h4> <ul class="CSList"> <li><a href="/environment/ceqa">CEQA Home</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/ceqa/planning">CEQA & General Planning</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/ceqa/letters">Comment Letters</a></li> <li><a href="/system/files/media/warehouse-best-practices.pdf">Warehouse Best Practices</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/ceqa/litigation-settlements">Litigation & Settlements</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/ceqa/measures">Mitigation Measures</a></li> <li><a href="/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Wildfire%20guidance%20final%20%283%29.pdf" target="_blank">Wildfire Guidance</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="CS"> <h4>Proposition 65</h4> <ul class="CSList"> <li><a href="/environment/prop65">Proposition 65 Home</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65">Proposition 65 Enforcement Reporting</a> <ul class="CSList"> <li><a href="/prop65/60-day-notice-search">Search 60-Day Notice</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/add-60-day-notice">File a 60-Day Notice</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/regulations">AG Regulations</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/ag-letters">AG Letters</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/litigation">AG Litigation</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/annual-settlement-reports">Annual Settlement Reports</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/chemicals">List of Chemicals</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/electronic-service">Electronic Service</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/faq">FAQs</a></li> <li><a href="/prop65/contact-us">Contact us</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="CS"> <h4>Fighting Federal Rollbacks</h4> <ul class="CSList"> <li><a href="/environment/rollbacks">Fighting Federal Rollbacks Home</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="CS"> <h4>Defending California’s Climate Change Program</h4> <ul class="CSList"> <li><a href="/environment/climate-change">Defending California’s Climate Change Program</a></li>  <li><a href="/environment/impact">Climate Change Impacts in California</a></li> <li><a href="/environment/climate-change/unequal-impacts">Climate Change’s Unequal Impacts</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </aside>  </div> </div> <footer class="footer container"> <div class="region region-footer"> <div id="block-block-373" class="block block-block"> <div class="content"> <div class="row hidden-print"> <div class="container sect-separator"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-md-1"> <img class="footer-seal" src="/sites/default/themes/custom2017/oag2017/img/seal.png" alt="State of California Department of Justice - 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