Climate Action Now Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Chairman, my amendment today lays before this House a very simple fact, an undeniable fact: Communities of color across this great Nation and, in fact, across the world are least responsible for climate change. They contribute far less to the carbon footprint of the world; they don't drive as many cars; in fact, they most often take public transportation. So they contribute less to climate change, and yet they suffer the most harm from its impact.

The most vulnerable among us, from my home in Washington Heights, in Harlem and the northwest Bronx communities and around the world, are all experiencing greater impacts and stand to suffer even more.

At home, I see it in the worsening of asthma rates among African American and Latinx children when parents come to my office looking for help for ballooning healthcare costs that they cannot afford.

I see it with seniors who have an array of respiratory diseases, in many cases contributing to long illnesses, if not death.

I see it in Central America, where extreme drought endangers livelihoods and has led to violence and outward migration.

I see it in the Caribbean and even here in the United States, where climate change has increased the magnitude and frequency of hurricanes, affecting millions who do not have the capacity to prepare for worsening storms and have barely recovered from one before the next one hits.

I see it in southern Africa and in south Asia and in small island developing states, where climate change affects food scarcity and access to clean water, damaging public health and increasing political instability and regional violence.

Mr. Chairman, in the United States and around the world, climate change has an unequal impact on communities of color because it compounds existing injustices of racial and economic disparities. This is fundamentally unjust, Mr. Chairman.

The amendment that I bring before you today is a very simple amendment, one that says that poor communities that are very often communities of color suffer disproportionately from climate change, although they do not contribute more to that ill.

My amendment makes it clear that the Paris Agreement seeks to address issues of environmental justice and the disparate impact climate change is having and will continue to have on vulnerable communities and people of color.

If adopted, I believe it will send a strong message, a very strong message that, with this bill, the United States of America's commitment to remain in the Paris climate agreement also means our agreement to address environmental injustices.

When it comes to mitigating climate change, we cannot forget disenfranchised communities. We cannot forget communities of color. We cannot forget indigenous communities. We cannot forget low-income communities. We cannot forget climate refugees, and we cannot forget the children who will bear this burden when we are all gone.

In every piece of legislation on climate change considered by this House, in every bill on environmental issues we pass, and at every hearing that we hold regarding this important matter, we must ensure that issues of environmental justice are equally addressed and that the disenfranchised communities and communities of color are heard, because, again, Mr. Chairman, they contribute far less to the carbon footprint, they contribute far less to climate change, and yet they suffer tremendously. So this is, fundamentally, an injustice.

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Chair, I want to thank Chairman Engel and the leadership, Chairman Pallone, for working with me to advance this important issue.

I want to, further, thank my colleagues who have cosponsored this amendment and are similarly dedicated to advancing environmental justice: Congress Members McEachin, Omar, Jayapal, Pressley, Carbajal, Cisneros, and Moore.

Finally, I want to thank many other groups in my district that continue to advocate day in and day out for environmental justice, a strong and diverse coalition that I am proud to represent.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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