Denver's minority neighborhoods face higher air pollution levels

A recent study highlights the disproportionate impact of air pollution on communities of color in Denver.

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill.

In short:

• The study identifies Denver neighborhoods like Globeville, Argo, Elyria-Swansea, and Chaffee Park as the most polluted.
• It reveals a pattern of environmental inequality, with higher pollution levels in areas predominantly inhabited by minorities. Transportation infrastructure, like highways constructed through or near such communities, were among the pollution sources.
• This situation echoes historical redlining practices, now manifested in environmental terms.

Key quote:

“Every city has a story of why people live where they do, and that affects who is affected most by pollution."

— Alex Bradley, chemistry graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder

Why this matters:

It's not just about air quality; it's about how historical and systemic inequalities continue to impact health outcomes in minority communities. For example, redlining, a discriminatory policy from the 1930s, has led to a disproportionate concentration of oil and gas wells in neighborhoods that were redlined -- making this a climate justice issue.