Climate change and related weather disasters are ongoing threats to health equity in underprivileged communities, said Robert Bullard, Ph.D., during the fourth installment of the NIH Climate Change and Health Seminar Series. Bullard co-directs the Maternal and Infant Environmental Health Riskscape Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine.

According to Bullard, the burden of climate change falls disproportionately on communities of color, who often are least able to prepare for and recover from heatwaves, poor air quality, flooding, and other climate-related issues.

Bullard, a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Committee, also discussed programs and strategies that will help communities vulnerable to climate change, such as the Justice40 Initiative.