Roseann Bongiovanni and John Walkey write:

We do not all suffer the same climate injustices.

Frontline communities — those shouldering the burdens of environmental, public health and quality of life impacts, for the benefits of our larger region — often go unnoticed. In Greater Boston, the communities along Chelsea Creek, which winds 2.6 miles through Chelsea and East Boston, is just one example.

In massive tanks and open lots along the banks of Chelsea Creek are the storage depots for 100% of Logan Airport’s jet fuel, as much as 80% of the New England region’s heating fuel, and road salt for hundreds of cities and towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and beyond.

The threats of climate change exacerbate the daily perils of these industries. Sea level rise is a real and present danger for all coastal communities. Yet, when rising seas are combined with hazardous chemicals and dangerous infrastructure, such as electrical substations, life in frontline communities gets a whole lot more complicated — and scary. [Continue reading…]