[Recap] EcoMadres Webinar: Climate Displacement & Wildfires
Dr. Julie A. González, CECE Post Doctoral Fellow, was a guest speaker in the EcoMadres Webinar on Climate Displacement & Wildfires, a discussion on how climate disasters, particularly wildfires, impact vulnerable communities. Hosted by EcoMadres, the event brought together researchers, advocates, and community leaders to examine the long-term health, economic, and social effects of wildfires, with a focus on climate migration and disaster recovery.
Wildfires disproportionately impact low-income, undocumented, and frontline communities. Exposure to toxic air pollution, displacement, and long-term health risks remain critical issues that are often overlooked in disaster response. While wildfire smoke is known to worsen respiratory conditions, emerging research suggests potential long-term cardiovascular effects. Mental health impacts, such as stress and anxiety from displacement, are also underrecognized.
A key takeaway from this discussion is the urgent need for better data collection, response, and policy interventions to address climate displacement.
As wildfires become more frequent and severe, more people are being displaced without a system to track their long-term impacts. A new study at CECE focuses on the LA Wildfires and aims to fill this gap by collecting anonymous survey data, connecting real-world experiences to policy action, and ensuring affected communities are not overlooked in recovery efforts.
