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Building Partnerships for Community Resilience: How Municipalities are Working with Local Organizations for Equitable, Effective Climate Action

Summary

The article highlights the relationship between historic redlining, urban heat, and health disparities in 11 Texan cities, linking them to decades of disinvestment in historically redlined communities. This has led to unequal heat burdens on low-income communities and communities of color. The disinvestment also resulted in a $107 billion flood risk for homes in these areas. The article emphasizes that black Americans are disproportionately affected by heat-related deaths due to these disparities. To address these issues, municipalities are urged to collaborate with grassroots organizations and frontline leaders in order to develop and implement climate action solutions that benefit all residents. The article provides examples of cities like Raleigh, New Orleans, and Boston that are partnering with community-based organizations to build equitable climate resilience and mitigate environmental burdens.

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