EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces $21M in Research Grant Funding to Investigate Cumulative Health Impacts of Climate Change on Underserved Communities

WASHINGTON (Feb. 27, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $21,410,211 in grant funding to 16 institutions for community-based research to examine how climate change may compound adverse environmental conditions and stressors for vulnerable populations in underserved communities.

“Our efforts to address climate change must prioritize the health and wellbeing of those who are most vulnerable to its impacts,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The research announced today will help us to characterize the cumulative impacts of climate change on the health and wellbeing of our most underserved communities so that we can work to mitigate these impacts and improve resilience.”

The environmental and health effects of climate change are far reaching. Some communities are more vulnerable because they already face greater exposure to pollutants and lack the resources to respond to and cope with environmental stressors. These communities may be more likely to suffer sustained or even permanent damage from the impacts of climate change, further worsening health disparities. Additionally, children, older adults, and people with disabilities or pre-existing health conditions may be more susceptible.

These grants will support research projects that will use community-based participatory research approaches that aim to empower the partnering underserved communities with science-based resilience-building solutions to protect their most vulnerable residents.

The following institutions are receiving awards:

• Boston University, Boston, Mass., Advancing Community Resilience to Cumulative Climate Impacts in the Mystic River Watershed (ACRES)
• City University of New York – York College, Jamaica, New York, Studying Air Pollution-Health-Climate Interactions for People of Color in Southeast Queens, NY: A Community-Based Project
• Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa., Understanding Pediatric Susceptibility Across Temperature and Environment in New York = UPStATE NY
• Emory University, Atlanta, Ga., Building Resilience in Atlanta: Leveraging Community Knowledge to Understand and Map the health impacts of cumulative environmental exposures and social vulnerability in the context of climate change
• Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, Building Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Alaska Native Communities by Reducing Health Risks from Water Infrastructure, Quality, and Security
• Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisc., Leveraging a public school district and schoolyard spaces to confront climate health inequities in a low-income, urban community of color
• Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Analysis of Climate Change Related Chemical and Non-Chemical Stressor Exposures: Cumulative Health Impacts and Risk Trajectories in Vulnerable Ohio Census Tracts
• Physicians Scientists and Engineers for Sustainable and Healthy Energy, Oakland, Calif., Contra Costa Climate Air Pollution, and Pregnancy Study (CC CAPS)
• Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Community-based research to address cumulative health effects of drought on rural communities who operate drinking water aqueducts in Puerto Rico
• RAND Corp, Pittsburgh, Pa., Health and High Water: Health Impacts of Increased Rainfall on Families Living in Racially Isolated Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh PA
• Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., Advancing sanitation justice: Linking climate-exacerbated nitrogen, cyanotoxins, and parasites with reimagined sanitation infrastructure and services in African American communities
• University of Alaska – Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, Filling data gaps: Development of a community-centered tool for assessing health impacts of intersecting climate hazards, wildfire smoke exposure, and social disparities in rural tribal and aging communities in Alaska
• University of California, Davis, Davis, Calif., Early Life Vulnerability to Climate-driven Wildfire Events on Pregnancy and Child Developmental Health Outcomes in Underserved Populations
• University of California – San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif., Partnering for Resilient Opportunities to Eliminate Cumulative Toxic (PROTECT) Health Effects from Wildfire PM2.5 in Environmental Justice Communities
• University of Maryland – College Park, College Park, Md., Septic to Sewer? Justice-focused strategies for addressing coastal septic failures under sea-level rise and increased flooding
• University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. The Duwamish Valley Research Coordination Network: Building Capacity for Tribal, Community, and Agency Research in Urban Watersheds

Learn more about the grantees.

Learn more about EPA research grants.

Learn more about EPA’s Cumulative Impacts Research

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)