Air pollution in Latinx communities is deadly; Biden can deliver cleaner air with EVs

The document highlights the severe health disparities caused by vehicle air pollution in Latinx and other communities of color across the United States, noting that Latinx people are twice as likely as white Americans to visit emergency rooms for asthma. It advocates for a national transition to electric vehicles, including phasing out new fossil fuel vehicle sales by 2035 and electrifying all vehicles by 2050. The author calls for targeted investments in clean public transit and the electrification of medium and heavy-duty trucks to achieve environmental justice.

• Vehicle pollution disproportionately affects communities of color in the U.S., with Latinx communities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region breathing 75% more vehicle air pollution than white residents, and Black, Latinx, and Asian communities in California exposed to up to 43% higher levels of vehicle pollution than white Californians.
• Latinx populations in the United States experience significantly higher rates of asthma-related emergency room visits compared to white Americans, being twice as likely to seek such treatment.
• Widespread transportation electrification by 2050 could result in substantial public health and economic benefits, including saving 6,300 lives, preventing over 93,000 asthma attacks and 416,000 lost work days annually, and avoiding $72 billion in health harms.
• Medium and heavy-duty trucks contribute a disproportionate amount of transportation pollution, accounting for 23% of such pollution despite making up only 5% of vehicles on the road.

APA

Marpillero-Colomina, A. (2021). Air pollution in Latinx communities is deadly; Biden can deliver cleaner air with EVs. GreenLatinos. https://www.greenlatinos.org/air-pollution-in-latinx-communities-is-deadly-biden-can-deliver-cleaner-air-with-evs/

Chicago

Marpillero-Colomina, Andrea. Air pollution in Latinx communities is deadly; Biden can deliver cleaner air with EVs. GreenLatinos, 2021. https://www.greenlatinos.org/air-pollution-in-latinx-communities-is-deadly-biden-can-deliver-cleaner-air-with-evs/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Marpillero-Colomina |first1=Andrea |title=Air pollution in Latinx communities is deadly; Biden can deliver cleaner air with EVs |publisher=GreenLatinos |date=4 March 2021 |url=https://www.greenlatinos.org/air-pollution-in-latinx-communities-is-deadly-biden-can-deliver-cleaner-air-with-evs/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{marpillerocolomina2021air, author = {Marpillero-Colomina, Andrea}, title = {{Air pollution in Latinx communities is deadly; Biden can deliver cleaner air with EVs}}, publisher = {GreenLatinos}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greenlatinos.org/air-pollution-in-latinx-communities-is-deadly-biden-can-deliver-cleaner-air-with-evs/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }