With a historic budget for parks and recreation, New York City is crafting strategic plans to increase tree canopy through an environmental justice lens. New York City s $624 million parks budget includes funding for capital projects such as planting 20,000 new trees. City Council recently held an oversight hearing on increasing tree canopy, which gave residents the chance to provide input on shade access in their community. .
Environmental groups are pushing for changes to North Carolina s industry-permitting process, which they say does not account for the cumulative impacts of environmental pollution. People exposed to multiple chemical and environmental stressors tend to have higher rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other health problems. Sherri White-Williamson, environmental justice policy director for the North Carolina Conservation Network, said currently, the state Department of Environmental Protection does not consider cumulative impacts when approving or denying permits for facilities often located in vulnerable communities. .
The Infrastructure Act is providing $1.2 trillion for improvement projects across water, energy, building and transportation sectors. A new report looks at how officials can use funds to address environmental justice. Authored by the National Wildlife Federation, the report provides a framework for front-line and fenceline communities experiencing environmental-justice issues such as frequent flooding to finance solutions through infrastructure dollars. .
A lack of trees is one of the lasting legacies of redlining and underinvestment in neighborhoods of color. The problem affects health as well as beauty — neighborhoods with fewer trees are hotter in summer, and the air is more polluted. But these three cities show it’s possible to create tree equity.