The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s 2021 Energy Burden Report shows that low-income BIPOC households experience much higher energy burdens than white households. The U.S. median energy burden of Black, Hispanic, and Native American households is 43%, 20%, and 45% higher than white households, respectively. In Los Angeles, the inequality of energy affordability is even worse affecting low-income households, low-income multifamily households, and Black households the most. Furthermore, the dilapidated electrical grid in low-income Black and brown communities makes the cost to develop desperately needed affordable housing in these areas prohibitively more expensive.

These panelists have devoted their careers to making Black and brown communities green and plan to discuss the intersections of affordable housing and sustainability. They will describe specific challenges that low-income communities face in the transition to a low-carbon economy as well as outline demonstrated solutions that their organizations are implementing to ensure that minority communities don’t bear the economic costs of climate change and/or the transition to net zero.