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Climate Vulnerability Index

Based on the peer-reviewed journal article, Characterizing vulnerabilities to climate change across the United States, a dashboard and an interactive map of the U.S. designed by Darkhorse Analytics, the CVI allows users to search by location and view their overall climate vulnerability and the conditions that shape it – from quality of housing and access to supermarkets to proximity to toxic waste sites and number of deaths from air pollution. For example, census tracts in Houston’s Settegast community rank in the 99th percentile for overall vulnerability. The CVI shows what is driving vulnerability, including low chronic disease prevention, high exposure to harmful pollutants like soot and inadequate access to fresh, nutritious food.

Pulling in 184 sets of data to rank more than 70,000 U.S. Census tracts, the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index helps users see which communities face the greatest challenges from the impacts of a changing climate. This tool shows what factors are driving the challenges, so policymakers and communities themselves can take action to build climate resilience where it is needed most.

You can interact with the map by:

  • Searching for a location
  • Zooming and panning across different areas
  • Clicking on a location for more details
  • Adjusting the map scale filter to focus on higher vulnerability locations

Searching for Energy, the CVI map shows the sources, availability, and affodability of energy in every U.S. census tract. Zooming in on the Chicago area, for example, shows that some census tracts, such as South Side, are ranked as having the “highest vulnerability” rating, in the 95-99 percentile compared with other locations across the country. Other locations in Chicago are much less vulnerable, ranking as low as 18th percentile in terms of energy vulnerabiilty.

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Press Release

New Website Helps People Have a Voice in Energy Decisions That Affect Their Lives, Communities

Environmental Defense Fund and Blacks in Green have launched a new website that will help people around the country get involved in decisions about energy for their communities. The website, Community Voices in Energy, gives people tools to participate in energy decision making so they can  protect their health, environment and money. These tools work with other planks of the partners’ Campaign To End Energy Poverty, which is designed to help make energy more affordable for all. The American standard is that light and heat cost about six percent of household income, but some low-income and frontline communities pay 20 percent or more. “Everyone should have a voice in creating our clean energy future and economic participation in the benefits. For that to happen, they need the ability to help shape decisions about the energy systems they rely on,” said Naomi Davis, founder and CEO of Blacks in Green and organizer of the campaign. “Our website is designed to help demystify the processes used by public utilities commissions and give people the tools they need to overcome participation hurdles.” The energy sector is one of the largest sources of climate pollution in the U.S., yet few people know how to get involved and influence the decisions public utility regulators make to govern gas and electric companies. Low-income and frontline communities often face more consequences from energy decisions than anyone else. Communities located near polluting power plants suffer from higher than average rates asthma and other lung diseases, lower property values, and worse air quality. At the same time, utilities have historically invested more in wealthier neighborhoods – so low-income communities can face more blackouts, slower repairs and less reliable service even while paying high and rising energy rates. Community Voices in Energy provides resources to help people learn about energy issues in their area, a toolkit to help them get involved, and training to help them provide expert testimony that brings community interests into public utility hearings. “A more just and equitable energy system is within reach, said Christie Hicks, EDF Senior Director for Equitable Regulatory Solutions. “When more people get involved in the process, it will change the information that regulators have – and that will change the way big decisions about energy are made. We hope this website will help utility regulators make rulings that lead to a more equitable, healthy and affordable energy future for all.”
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Media Article

The richest Americans account for 40 percent of U.S. climate emissions

The richest 10 percent of U.S. households are responsible for 40 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study released Thursday in PLOS Climate. The study, which looked at how a household’s income generated emissions, underlines the stark divide between those who benefit most from fossil fuels and those who are most burdened by its effects. “It just seems morally and politically problematic to have one group of people reaping so much benefit from emissions while the poorer groups in society are asked to disproportionately deal with the harms of those emissions,” Starr, a sustainability scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said. Previous research has shown that extreme weather events made worse because of climate change, from flooding to hurricanes, often have a greater effect on lower-income communities.
Media Article

Consumer advocates say regulators should slash Ameren Illinois’ proposed $134M rate hike

Consumer advocates are pushing back against Ameren Illinois’ $134 million rate hike request for natural gas services that’s currently before state regulators. The watchdog groups contend the Illinois Commerce Commission, the state regulatory body, should reject at least two-thirds of the proposal. “t Ameren’s bid for a $134 million rate hike is unjust, unreasonable — and at least triple what the utility can possibly justify,” said Jim Chilsen, a spokesman for the Citizens Utility Boardy. The affordability issues and reducing expenditures on infrastructure by Ameren are “also the best solutions for a healthy, livable planet,” said Curt Stokes, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund. “Expanding and just doubling down on investments in this natural gas distribution system is not going to get Illinois to a zero carbon economy by 2050,” Stokes said.
Media Article

Peoples Gas seeks record-high gas bill increase for customers

Environmental and community activists turned out in Chicago to protest against Peoples Gas' request for a $402 million rate hike for next year. "We don’t think consumers should be having to spend more money to rebuild fossil fuel pipelines," said activist Caroline Wooten. Dozens of activists showed up to Thursday's Illinois Commerce Commission meeting to make their final plea before the commission votes on November 16.