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How Will Climate Change Impact Environmental Justice In New Mexico?

Daisy Bond

The 2005 Environmental Justice Executive Order states that New Mexico is committed to including communities of color and low-income communities in the development and implementation of environmental policy, and to ensuring environmental justice for New Mexicans regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, income or educational level. However the effects of climate change will have disproportionate consequences on low-income communities and communities of color.

How will climate change affect low-income individuals and people of color in New Mexico?

• Health Problems. Health effects caused by climate change will be more severe for low-income individuals and people of color, who are less likely to have health insurance and access to health care information and providers. Additionally, communities of color and low-income communities are often in close proximity to power plants and other toxic industrial operations.
• Food Costs. Disruptions of agricultural systems by droughts and pest outbreaks will lead to increased food costs. Low-income families will be hit the hardest by higher food costs. These same events will jeopardize home gardens, forcing low-income families to purchase more of their food at a time when costs are climbing. Pest outbreaks may also result in increased use of pesticides, exposing farmworkers and rural communities to yet another health risk.
• Floods And Wildfires. Natural disasters such as floods and wildfires disproportionately effect low-income households, which are less likely to have homeowners insurance, and more likely to live in older structures that would require expensive retrofitting to cope with a changing climate.

How will climate change affect New Mexico’s Native American communities?

• Traditional Lifestyles. The traditional subsistence systems of Native American communities are in a delicate balance with the ecosystem and could be easily disrupted by climate change.
• Changes To Ecosystems. Plants and animals integral to the cultural life and religious beliefs and practices of Native American communities may become extinct or shift their range so that they no longer occur within the native homeland.  For peoples whose spiritual  and cultural identity is tied to ecological systems, severely altering the natural balance of their  homeland would be as disruptive to identity as outright displacement to a new region.

How can we ensure environmental justice for all New Mexicans?

In order to safeguard environmental justice, we must combat climate change and create a sustainable future for New Mexico. Green jobs and training programs will stimulate sustainable economic growth while providing low-income individuals with the skills necessary to secure good jobs in a changing economy. In order to ensure both economic and environmental justice, green jobs must be made available to New Mexico’s disadvantaged populations.