Wealthier, Whiter Areas Are More Likely to Get Help After Fires, Data Show
A piece in the New York Times discusses new research by Matthew Wibbenmeyer about the social inequalities in wildfire response.
" Wealthier and whiter neighborhoods stricken by wildfires are more likely to get help to reduce the risk of future fires, new data suggest, the latest evidence that racial and economic inequality leaves some Americans more exposed to the worsening effects of climate change.
The findings, issued Wednesday by Resources for the Future, a Washington-based research group, show that after a wildfire, the federal government is more likely to take steps to reduce the severity of future fires in the same area, but only when the communities nearby are whiter or have higher incomes than average."