To the editor: For Imperial Valley residents reading between the lines, the article about the deteriorating respiratory health of people living near the evaporating Salton Sea chronicles the intersection of housing insecurity and environmental risk.
Her article begins with the story of the Clark family, who moved to Niland, a community in Imperial County with little public health infrastructure and high environmental risk, because housing was unavailable in their previous hometown. Even with the highest unemployment rate in the state, home prices in Imperial County have increased by 24% in the past year alone.
Stories of economic migration to towns bordering the Salton Sea (such as Thermal, Niland, and Salton City) in search of affordable housing reveal a kind of climate migration in reverse. Economic insecurity is driving people to areas with high environmental risk and poor public health infrastructure.
As lithium investments around the Salton Sea increase, so must investments in environmental risk prevention and mitigation in our communities. These investments must also strengthen access to basic needs like housing, healthcare, and employment, so that people's exposure to environmental pollution is not determined by their economic status.
Daniela Flores, Calipatria, California.
The writer is co-founder of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
