Page 44 - Mapping the Nation: Taking Climate Action

Environmental Justice Intense media coverage of Hurricane Katrina highlighted the equity component of natural disasters—who are impacted more than others and how those affected are treated in the disaster's aftermath. New Orleans' Black residents, faced with disproportionate poverty rates, were less likely to have a means of escaping the city. In the most symbolically stark example, evacuees were prevented by police from walking over the Mississippi River bridge that connects New Orleans with the much more upscale town of Gretna. Trees soften urban landscapes, provide much-needed shade, and play a role in many more ecosystem services. 43