NEOBHC Isn’t Waiting for Permission to Solve Climate Change

Black Climate Week (Feb. 21–28, 2026) is not symbolic for us. It is survival.

In Cleveland and across Northeast Ohio, climate change is not a distant threat it is

intensifying existing health disparities that Black communities have faced for generations.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Black Americans are 40

percent more likely than the overall U.S. population to live in areas with the highest

projected increases in extreme temperature–related deaths due to climate change.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Black children are

significantly more likely to have asthma than white children and are far more likely to be

hospitalized or die from asthma.

In Cuyahoga County, asthma hospitalization rates consistently exceed state averages in

predominantly Black neighborhoods, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health

and local public health reporting.

Heat is already the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States, according to

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Cleveland’s urban heat

island effect intensified by limited tree canopy in historically redlined neighborhoods

increases exposure risk for residents without access to cooling infrastructure.

A 2021 peer-reviewed study published in Nature Communications found that formerly

redlined neighborhoods across the U.S. are significantly hotter than non-redlined

neighborhoods, sometimes by as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit.

In Cleveland, neighborhoods on the city’s East Side communities shaped by decades of

disinvestment experience higher surface temperatures and lower tree canopy coverage

compared to wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods.

The Fourth National Climate Assessment confirms that the Midwest is experiencing

increases in heavy rainfall events, contributing to urban flooding and infrastructure strain.

Flooding exacerbates mold exposure, worsens asthma, and threatens aging water systems

increasing risks of lead exposure in communities already burdened by environmental

hazards.

Black Climate Week is not about awareness alone. It is about implementation. The

Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition’s initiatives — from distributing air purifiers to

advocating for air quality code updates reflect what environmental justice looks like in

practice.

The American Lung Association’s State of the Air reports consistently show that people of

color are more likely to live in counties with failing air quality grades. Transportation

corridors and industrial facilities remain concentrated near Black neighborhoods.

Climate justice is public health. When air is polluted, asthma rates climb. When heat

intensifies, cardiovascular disease risks increase. When flooding damages housing, families

face displacement and long-term health consequences.

Black communities in Ohio are not waiting for permission. We are advocating for tree

canopy expansion, equitable resilience funding, and infrastructure investment that protects

our air, land, and water.

This Black Climate Week, we recognize that environmental justice is civil rights work. Our

survival depends on science-based policy, equitable investment, and community-led

solutions.