Op-Ed
November 21, 2022, TIME Magazine
What Climate Change Is Already Doing to Children's Brains
By Dr. Frederica Perera
It’s true: the data on the spiraling planetary crisis, the cascading health effects, and widening inequality due to climate change are extremely daunting. In fact, they can cause us to look away, paralyzed by the enormity of the problem. But what if our refusal to change our ways has ripple effects to future generations? Will we pay attention, then?
The Supreme Court Dealt a Terrible Blow to Children’s Health
By Frederica Perera and Kari Nadeau
Dr. Perera and Dr. Nadeau are professors who study the health effects of air pollution on children.
Climate change and air pollution — both largely driven by fossil fuel emissions — inflict a huge toll on the health of children. This is especially true within low-income communities and communities of color. The recent Supreme Court decision, West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, that curtails the E.P.A.’s power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants will greatly exacerbate this harm.
April 22, 2020 ManhattanTimes, The Other Crisis
By Dr. Frederica Perera
In the grip of the coronavirus, frightened and distracted, we have taken our eyes off a crisis that is far more serious in terms of its long-term impacts: the “existential crisis” of climate change. COVID should not be an excuse or cover for the weakening of environmental and climate policies. Children would be the biggest losers. They bear the brunt of the emissions of climate-altering carbon dioxide and toxic co-pollutants such as fine particles and vapors from fossil fuel-powered motor vehicles, power plants and industry.
March 9, 2020 Daily News, How the have nots are coping with coronavirus
By Dr. Diana Hernandez
For a while, coronavirus was something happening on the other side of the world. As of this week, it’s a more imminent threat for many New Yorkers. And for those on the margins, it’s an especially serious threat. On Sunday, March 8, the first confirmed case hit the Bronx. Little is known about this individual, but as a local resident, I can say that the signs of concern are nearing. Just yesterday as I was running errands, I saw indications that my neighbors were on alert.