The U.S. is segregated, and so is its pollution.
Study after study after study has revealed the same injustice: compared to white and/or high-income Americans, communities of color and low-income communities suffer disproportionately from pollution, in addition to the harmful—and sometimes deadly—effects of climate change. Worse yet? These same communities that are most impacted by pollution create the least pollution overall.
The transportation sector, which currently relies primarily on burning dirty fossil fuels to move people and goods, is a major source of pollution harming these communities—and the largest and fastest-growing contributor to greenhouse gas pollution in the U.S. By tackling pollution in the transportation sector, the Biden administration and states can act on climate and deliver meaningful health benefits to the communities hit hardest by transportation pollution. That means real people in real communities living longer, healthier lives.
How is transportation an environmental justice issue?
Vehicle pollution is not only bad for our climate—it threatens public health. But not equally. Cars and trucks produce significant carbon pollution, but also emit co-pollutants like particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that create smog, cause respiratory irritation, exacerbate asthma, and are responsible for tens of thousands of premature deaths a year in the U.S. The transportation sector accounts for over half of NOx pollution and a little less than 10 percent of PM pollution in the U.S. Diesel trucks, in particular, are so dangerous that areas with heavy truck traffic are literally called “diesel death zones.”
Addressing this kind of pollution from the transportation sector is an environmental justice issue. In the U.S., low-income communities and communities of color are often in areas closer to transportation infrastructure and where pollution from vehicles and engines is more prevalent. This stems from a history of discriminatory housing and transportation practices, whereby communities of color—and in particular Black communities—were often concentrated in industrial areas or nearby highway infrastructure.