00:00This story originally published in Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. Like many Angelenos, I spend a lot of time behind the wheel of my car.
00:14I drive from my Westside apartment to Dodger Stadium near downtown and farther east to hike in the San Gabriel Mountains. I take the 405 freeway north to the San Fernando Valley to see friends, or occasionally south to the LA Times office, or to the airport, where I grow my carbon footprint even further.
00:44So I couldn't help but consider my own complicity while reading a new study from USC researchers, finding that Angelenos who drive more tend to be exposed to less air pollution, and Angelenos who drive less tend to be exposed to more pollution.
01:00It may sound like a paradox, but it's not. It's a function of the racism that shaped the city and its suburbs, and continues to influence our daily lives, and a stark reminder of the need for climate solutions that benefit everyone.
01:15My colleague Terry Castleman wrote about the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Urban Studies.
Be the first to comment