Targeting air pollution could help reduce childhood asthma
Posted October 07, 2024 in Op-Eds
This piece was previously published on Cleveland.com and is reprinted here with permission.
In his last State of the State address, Gov. Mike DeWine promised to address the root causes of childhood asthma.
Supporting Ohio’s childcare programs -- where children play, grow and learn -- and targeting air pollution in their communities would be a great place to start.
More than half of Cuyahoga County’s childcare programs (56 percent) are located in communities with elevated pollution exposure linked to childhood asthma risks, along with undue energy cost burdens that tax providers’ budgets.
These problems pervade Cuyahoga County, but mapping childcare providers over climate and economic indicators shows that home-based providers who serve families in their own neighborhoods -- often concentrated in Black and Latine communities -- are feeling them more acutely due to historic redlining.
Starting in the 1930s, redlining practices identified communities where mortgage lending was deemed “economically unsound,” effectively segregating cities and denying home ownership to the families in those neighborhoods.
Predominantly Black, Latine and migrant neighborhoods were considered “hazardous.” This led to decades of public budgeting and policy decisions favoring white neighborhoods.
Redlining still drives many of the racial and economic disparities we see today, including disproportionate environmental burdens. As white households fled to the suburbs throughout the redlining era, transportation systems evolved to support longer commutes -- often running heavy traffic through historically redlined communities.
Consequently, these communities are disproportionately exposed to transportation pollution -- a leading cause of rising greenhouse gas emissions in Ohio -- and other environmental hazards.
Cuyahoga’s home-based childcare providers are far more likely to be located in redlined neighborhoods with higher pollution levels and asthma rates, where households spend a higher share of their income on energy costs.
Supporting childcare providers in redlined communities with policies designed to increase childcare funding, reduce energy costs and deliver cleaner air to their communities would be transformative for Ohio’s kids.
Lawmakers can fulfill DeWine’s promise to address the root causes of childhood asthma with policies that support access to clean, affordable energy for providers and families, along with state investments in public transit targeted to redlined communities and the providers who care for the neighborhood’s kids.
Thankfully, Ohio’s youngest children have some older siblings looking out for them: Local high school students have been advocating for a clean energy transition through legislation like House Bill 197 and Senate Bill 247.
These bills would enable a community solar pilot program in Ohio, expanding access to clean energy for those who can’t install panels on their own homes, like renters and low-income households.
These young people joined other advocates fighting for climate justice, so that the youngest Ohioans will inherit a healthier planet on which to live out the long-term benefits of supporting childcare today.