Season 2 Episode 06: Things Fall Apart

The unprecedented winter storm in Texas has once again reminded us that climate change has dire consequences that we are not prepared for. With subfreezing temperatures that caused power failures that lasted days and citizens dying to stay warm, it’s time to take a step back and see what went wrong. This episode of Let’s Talk About Race looks at the effects that climate change and America’s failing infrastructure have on vulnerable communities.

From the Flint Water Crisis to the wildfires in California, the cost of both climate infrastructure failures have long-lasting effects for black and brown people. The vast majority of their redlined communities suffer from a scarcity of economic resources. Their inability to move to better-served neighborhoods puts them in a precarious position when natural or man-made disasters occur. 

For wealthier communities, on the other hand, the fight for environmental justice is not as urgent. With climate change seen as a far-off calamity that will affect later generations, will this behavior by some be the demise of all?