Title
Declaring the intent to prioritize climate action and environmental justice in the ongoing COVID-19 recovery effort.
Body
WHEREAS, The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic still requires urgent, coordinated, and forward-looking action by all levels of government, the private sector, community organizations, and residents; and
WHEREAS, As of June 2020, nearly 200,000 Philadelphians had filed for unemployment compensation, with nearly 70% of claimants reporting an educational attainment level below a high school diploma or GED, and a 30+ percentage point gap between Black and white claimants; and
WHEREAS, As of November 16, 2020, Philadelphia's Public Health Department reported 54,607 confirmed cases and 1,917 deaths from COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to higher mortality from COVID-19; an increase in one microgram per cubic meter of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) corresponds to an 8% increase in COVID-19 deaths; and
WHEREAS, Peer-reviewed studies have proven, on average, Black and Hispanic minorities bear a disproportionate burden compared to non-Hispanic whites from air pollution; and
WHEREAS, According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the Covid-19 mortality rate is nearly twice as high for Black Philadelphians as for white Philadelphians; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is poorest large city in the country, with 23.3% of Philadelphians living below the Federal Poverty Line; and
WHEREAS, The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia found Black Philadelphians are 1.5 times more likely than white Philadelphians to make less than $40,000 per year and Latinx Philadelphians earn the least among all of Philadelphia's racial and ethnic groups; and
WHEREAS, The 2020 Pew State of Housing Affordability in Philadelphia report stated, half of all Hispanic households and 46% of African American households were cost-burdened; and
WHEREAS, Ph...
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