Latino communities in Los Angeles are bearing the brunt of climate change and environmental neglect, according to new data from UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute. The Latino Climate and Health Dashboard reveals that Latino-majority neighborhoods experience 25 extreme heat days per year—more than triple the number in white-majority areas.
“Extreme heat isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s deadly,” said Irene Burga of Green Latinos. These neighborhoods often lack tree cover, have older housing without modern cooling systems, and are home to workers in heat-exposed jobs. Tree canopy covers just 4% of land in Latino neighborhoods, compared to 9% in white areas.
The dashboard, supported by the California Wellness Foundation, also shows higher exposure to air pollution and worse health outcomes, including asthma and emergency room visits. “Latino communities are on the front lines of climate change, yet they’ve often been left out of the data and decisions,” said UCLA professor Arturo Vargas Bustamante.
The situation is worsened by recent immigration enforcement actions. “People are staying home,” said Mar Velez of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “They’re scared of encountering ICE, then having health issues, heat strokes.” In a city where air conditioning isn’t required in rentals, fear and heat can be a deadly combination.
Advocates hope the dashboard will empower communities and lawmakers to act. “Uncovering and really understanding the layers of impact,” Velez said, “is something I’m really looking forward to.”
See: “The profound environmental health disparities between Latino and white neighborhoods in L.A.” (June 24, 2025)
