This is Part Two of our four-part series, Waves of Change, in collaboration with Oceana. This week, we examine how offshore drilling for oil disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities living near the coasts and what can legally be done to prevent future disasters. First, we speak with Dr. Gabriella Meltzer about the environmental justice impacts of oil spills and climate-fueled weather disasters and how the health of children in those communities are impacted by facing multiple fossil fuel-driven catastrophes in their lifetimes. Then, Chris Eaton, a senior attorney with the Oceans Program at Earthjustice, joins the show to talk about the legal strategies his organization has employed to help environmental justice organizations sue governments and businesses in order to protect their communities from fossil fuels. 

Check out Dr. Meltzer's papers:

Adverse Physical and Mental Health Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Among Gulf Coast Children: An Environmental Justice Perspective

The Effects of Cumulative Natural Disaster Exposure on Adolescent Psychological Distress

Environmentally Marginalized Populations: the perfect storm for infectious disease pandemics, including COVID19

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