The consequences of climate change will be more severe for some communities than for others.

The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed across society. Political, social, economic and environmental conditions, both now and in the past, shape a community’s vulnerability to these challenges. As a result, the consequences of climate change will be more severe for some communities than for others.

Frontline communities are those that are disproportionately impacted by climate change, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, immigrants and refugees, people living with low incomes, communities experiencing disproportionate pollution exposure, women and gender non-conforming people, LGTBQIA+ people, people who live and/or work outside or depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, those with existing health issues (like asthma and heart disease), pregnant people and people with limited English skills. Children and elderly people are also more vulnerable to climate change impacts.

Frontline communities are often hit hardest by climate change impacts, although they have often contributed the least to the causes of climate change. This is because of unjust social, political and economic structures which have led these frontline communities to:

• Be disproportionately exposed to climate risks. For example, frontline communities often live and work in areas at risk to flooding, sea-level rise, fires, heat stressors, air quality and other direct physical impacts. Practices of segregation including redlining have created this issue.
• Be disproportionately vulnerable to climate risks. Many frontline communities are already experiencing societal issues that can be further affected by climate stressors, such as food insecurity, barriers to and fewer options for employment and inadequate healthcare.

At the same time, frontline communities have solutions to address climate change impacts. Communities of people of color draw from diverse knowledge and lived experiences connected to place to develop solutions related to infrastructure, ecological and landscape decisions, community development, public health and other areas of climate resilience. For example, Traditional Ecological Knowledge held by Tribes and Indigenous people can help manage post-fire vegetation transitions.

Efforts to build climate resilience that do not include frontline communities have resulted in policies and solutions that fail to benefit and even cause harm to these communities. In contrast, centering the leadership and creativity of frontline communities can help build a climate-resilient future for all people.

The Climate Impacts Group commits to prioritizing inclusion and justice for all people in our work on climate adaptation, with the aim of mitigating oppression in our organization, our field and our communities. Frontline communities are centered in climate adaptation work at the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, one of the Climate Impacts Group’s major programs. The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, a partnership with the US Geological Survey housed at the Climate Impacts Group, works closely with tribes and tribal nations.

An Unfair Share: Exploring the Disproportionate Risks from Climate Change Facing Washington Communities has more detail about how communities may be exposed differently to climate-related hazards and how factors like race/ethnicity, wealth, income, level of education and health status affect the ability to cope with climate impacts, or related harms.

Preparing for the impacts of climate change can help avoid the most severe outcomes. Learn more about climate adaptation.

CLIMATE ADAPTATION