Breathing While Black in America

This week: as anger over police brutality explodes into the once-empty streets, we tackle an equally oppressive force for black Americans: environmental racism.

Coronavirus has exposed an unsettling reality for black and brown people, who are dying at higher rates in the country’s most polluted communities. We’re suddenly talking again about structural racism in policing and criminal justice. But the story of race, energy and the environment is also very important to understanding the anger of the moment.

We’re going to speak with a seasoned lawyer and organizer, who is working on the “mass melanization” of the environmental movement: Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, the North America Director for 350.org

Later in the show: if people lose their jobs and can’t pay their bills, what does that mean for their safety in a summer heat wave? And what does it mean for the financial health of utilities?

Finally, a new approach to residential demand response. Why are Consumers Energy, Uplight and Google giving away 100,000 free smart thermostats?

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• VOX: One reason why coronavirus is hitting black Americans the hardest
• NY Times: In the Shadows of America’s Smokestacks, Virus is one More Deadly Risk
• AP: 'Death By Racism': Part of America's DNA From the Start?
• LA Times Boiling Point: Pandemic. Heat. And for the most vulnerable, no A/C
• Gizmodo: Coronavirus, Summer Heat, and Poverty Could Create a 'Triple Whammy'
• GTM: Can Free Smart Thermostats Get Homeowners to Enroll in Summertime Demand Response?
• GTM: Residential Demand Response to Play Key Role Managing US Load This Summer

The Energy Gang is brought to you by Sungrow, the leading global supplier of inverter solutions for renewables. During these uncertain times, Sungrow is committed to protecting its employees and continuing to reliably serve its customers around the world. Sungrow has also leveraged its extensive network across the United States to distribute face masks to communities in need.

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