Low-Income Communities Left Behind in the Sea-Level Rise Discussion

Natalie Delgadillo reports from Miami-Dade County, following the King Tide earlier this month that sent water spilling into the streets.

Coastal neighborhoods are hardest hit, but the flooding also reaches farther inland, to less affluent communities. It’s here where the consequences of climate change and sea-level rise could in fact be most grave, says Nicole Hernandez Hammer, a climate researcher with the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Delgadillo adds more:

Middle- and low-income households tend to be less resilient to shocks such as flooding, and they also run the highest risk of being forgotten in the rush to save the millions of dollars in real-estate investments on the waterfront.

The city of Miami has recently taken steps to ensure that low-income communities are included in the planning response to climate change, with the risks from sea-level rise and climate change presenting a clear and present danger to the entire region. Regardless, according to Delgadillo, much of the discussion about climate change and sea-level rise has focused on the luxury properties, rather than working class neighborhoods like Shorecrest.