Groundwork Denver works directly with community members to address climate change — specifically in areas where more people of color and people with low-incomes reside. As temperatures rise and weather becomes less predictable, these are the communities most impacted by environmental injustices like heat, flooding, poor air and water quality, and faltering home weatherization.

Through our Community Health program, we respond to community needs to help residents be more resilient to climate change impacts. The City of Denver’s Climate Adaptation Plan recognizes an increase in temperature and urban heat island effect as a key potential climate change impact for Denver. Extreme heat events can cause a range of health problems including heat stroke and ultimately death. Exposure to extreme heat can also aggravate pre-existing diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and nervous system disorders. Additionally, hot, sunny days can result in an increased rate of ground-level ozone formation. Ground-level ozone exposure can cause harmful cardiopulmonary health effects, including shortness of breath and aggravation of lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.

People living in Denver’s lower-income neighborhoods are more vulnerable to extreme heat events because of poor housing infrastructure, fewer trees, and parks, less mobility (e.g. fewer cars, inadequate public transportation, poor bike/ped infrastructure), and less access to resources. We’re working to make our communities more resilient by improving housing infrastructure, implementing nature-based infrastructure, and connecting people to each other, and providing emergency preparedness resources.

For more information, visit: https://groundworkusa.org/climate-safe-neighborhoods/ or contact our Community Health Program Director, Aracely Navarro at aracely@groundworkcolorado.org.