Lara Cushing discusses the Toxic Tides interactive tool and the impacts of rising sea levels on communities of color | Sustainable LA Grand Challenge

Karen Dutko
April 08, 2022
SLAGC News and Events

Publication: KQED

UCLA Expert: Lara Cushing: Assistant Professor, Center for Occupational & Environmental Health; Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences; Member, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis: KQED-FM reported on the Toxic Tides interactive tool co-published by Cushing, which demonstrated how rising sea levels could push up a 'toxic soup' into at-risk neighborhoods.

UCLA News: According to KQED, about 400 sites including power plants, sewage treatment plants, refineries, cleanup sites and others, are at risk of inundation based on different sea-level rise predictions. Cushing spoke about the distribution of these hazardous sites. “Communities of color are much more likely to live near one of these risk sites, as are lower-income communities or communities where English is not the primary language that’s spoken.”