“Restoring Inland Seas: Addressing Environmental Injustice and Health Disparities”

Inland seas around the world are drying up due to increasing human water use and accelerating climate change, leading to harmful dust pollution during acute dust storms. A recent study focusing on the Great Salt Lake in Utah highlights the disparities in dust exposure among different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, with Pacific Islanders and Hispanic people experiencing the highest levels of exposure.

The study, published in the journal One Earth on June 21, sheds light on the environmental justice and equity implications of the drying lake. Lead author Sara Grineski, a sociologist at the University of Utah, emphasizes the importance of addressing these disparities through coordinated policy responses to restore the lake’s levels.

The Great Salt Lake has been drying since the mid-1980s, exposing its dry lakebed to atmospheric weathering and wind. Dust emissions from the drying lake produce fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is known to have adverse health effects and is a leading environmental cause of human mortality globally.

Using a model to simulate dust pollution under different lake-level scenarios, the research team found that current dust exposure levels in the Great Salt Valley exceed the World Health Organization’s threshold. If the lake were to dry up completely, exposure levels would increase further, but restoring the lake to a healthy level would decrease average exposure.

The study also revealed that certain groups within the population, such as Pacific Islanders, Hispanic individuals, and those without a high school diploma, are disproportionately exposed to dust pollution. However, there was no association between income level or home ownership and the risk of dust exposure.

By raising the lake’s level, the disparities in dust exposure between different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups could be reduced, addressing one form of environmental injustice in the region. Grineski emphasizes the importance of considering these environmental justice implications in policy decisions related to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

In the future, the research team plans to investigate how changes in the region’s population size and demographics may impact dust exposure from the lake. Ultimately, they hope their findings will inform local policymakers on the importance of prioritizing efforts to refill the Great Salt Lake to improve air quality and reduce disparities in dust exposure.