Environmental Hazards & Protected Classes

Introduction

Climate change and its impact on protected classes is a major topic of research and advocacy in the Cincinnati region. Rather than reinventing the wheel, HOME partnered with organizations like Green Umbrella, the regional climate collaborative for Southwest-Ohio, to better understand and analyze the existing publicly available data about our region’s environmental hazards and their impacts on members of protected classes as defined by the Fair Housing Act. The federal Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities. The Fair Housing Act specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. These groups are collectively known as protected classes.

Environmental hazards directly impact the quality and availability of housing and thus fall squarely within the scope of the Fair Housing Act. This map created by HOME shows where communities of color live in the Cincinnati and Hamilton County region. Another subsequent map in this report shows where people with a disability live. By comparing and analyzing the geography of environmental hazards relative to data on where members of protected classes live, we are able to identify clear overlaps that demonstrate these hazards disproportionately impact members of protected classes.

Over the past few years, the City of Cincinnati has published multiple reports specifically analyzing this issue including the Green Cincinnati Plan, the Cincinnati Heat Watch Report, and the Cincinnati Climate Equity Indicators Report. Most of Cincinnati’s environmental hazards are related to heat and severe storms. Local experts divide these impacts into three broad categories: Energy Insecurity, Air Quality, and Flooding Impacts. While these categories are useful divisions for discussing these issues, it’s important to remember that there is considerable overlap and that these hazards will have compounding impacts.

Energy Insecurity

With extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, becoming increasingly common, energy consumption is increasing as residents need to more regularly use their heating and cooling systems to maintain a safe and habitable temperature in their homes. Comparing the Cincinnati Heat Watch Report with data on where members of protected classes live shows that members of protected classes are more likely to live in hotter areas that require higher energy consumption to maintain a habitable temperature.

Unfortunately, last June, PJM Interconnection, which manages the electric grid for 13 states including Ohio, held a capacity auction that resulted in dramatically higher capacity prices. These price increases are being passed onto consumers and will result in higher electricity bills. Many residents already struggle to pay their current electricity bills.

The rate hikes combined with the need to run heating and cooling systems more frequently will only make paying that bill harder. Energy efficient technology is an important part of the solution because it reduces energy consumption even as residents demand for heating and cooling increases. Accordingly, this technology lowers consumer’s energy bills and makes heating and cooling your home more accessible to everyone.

Air Quality

According to recent research from the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report, Cincinnati ranked as the 14th worst metro area in the United States for air quality. This data aligns with existing data from the 2021 Cincinnati Climate Equity Indicators Report that shows members of protected classes are more likely to live in areas with lower air quality and higher concentrations of air toxics and respiratory hazards.

Rising temperatures have a major impact on air quality and create an environment that supports higher concentrations of pollutants in the air. Increased rainfall also has a major impact on air quality as it leads to an increased prevalence of mold and other hazards.

Declining outdoor air quality directly leads to worsening indoor air quality. Without proper filtration systems to clean the air entering their homes, residents are placed at a higher risk for developing respiratory illness or other health complications. Maps from the Cincinnati Climate Equity Indicators Report show a higher prevalence of asthma and other disabilities in these same areas.

Modern filtration systems considerably reduce these risks and ensure that residents can safely occupy their homes. In addition to protecting residents, implementing these systems saves money by improving the quality and extending the lifespan of existing housing. Outside of the home, adding more greenspaces can help counteract worsening air conditions and lower the burden on filtration systems. Presently, members of protected classes are more likely to live in areas that have little to no greenspaces. Improving and expanding greenspaces in these communities is another important step toward reducing the impact of environmental hazards on protected classes.

Flooding Impacts

Flooding is the most common and most costly natural disaster in the United States. The Cincinnati region is no different and is in fact at a higher risk for flooding and related hazards because of our location in the Ohio River Basin. Floods can cause considerable damage to dwellings making them uninhabitable either temporarily until costly repairs can be completed or potentially permanently depending on the circumstances.

Most homeowner’s insurance does not cover flood damage, instead residents must purchase separate, often costly, flood insurance to adequately insure their property. Beyond traditional flooding, Cincinnati’s combined sewage and storm water system places residents at a much higher risk for sewage backups. Over the past 20 years, the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District has confirmed nearly 8,000 instances of sewage backups totaling over $28 million paid to homeowners to repair damages from these overflows. Comparing the above maps, there is a considerable overlap of where communities of color are located, where people with disabilities live, and the proximity to known toxic discharges into waterways.

Increased rainfall and flooding can also trigger landslides which pose a significant risk in our region. According to the City of Cincinnati, roughly 19% of the city consists of hillsides with slopes 20% or greater. Residential properties on these hillsides risk significant structural damage that could make these dwellings permanently uninhabitable. Unlike damage from flooding, there is no insurance that covers damage caused by landslides. This lack of insurance coverage places homeowners and residents at a much greater risk for losing wealth after a natural disaster with little to no recourse. The City of Cincinnati recently launched the Cincinnati Hillside Initiative in an effort to evaluate hillside zoning and ensure that new and existing developments are able to withstand the impacts of increased environmental hazards.

Conclusion

Without intervention, the rise in daily temperatures will cause a variety of negative downstream effects including greater energy insecurity caused by rising demand and prices, higher concentrations of air pollutants (which can cause or exacerbate health conditions like respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and other chronic illnesses), and increased severe storms and flooding. Excess stormwater already causes a variety of issues in Cincinnati including landslides, flooding, and sewer backups that all damage residential properties. These issues will only be exacerbated by an increase in severe storms.

These impacts of climate change will not be evenly distributed or uniformly experienced by residents of the region. Instead, members of protected classes are likely to bear the brunt of the costs of climate change. The Cincinnati Heat Watch Report found heat islands in predominantly low-income communities of color that were systemically excluded from other neighborhoods via red-lining and lack of access to financial services. More than just directly experiencing increased environmental hazards, these communities are also likely to bear the most significant health impacts from climate change. Members of protected classes including people of color, people with disabilities, and families with children, are more likely to live in areas with high environmental hazards. These hazards act as a risk-multipliers that exacerbate existing inequalities and results in these communities experiencing the negative impacts of environmental hazards first and worst.

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The work behind this publication was supported by funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. HOME is solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.