Let’s take a look at air quality. A prominent Union of Concerned Scientists study showed that Black people breathe 61% more particulate and “ultrafine” pollution than whites -- and it’s worse still for Latinx and Asian communities.¹ Chinatown often suffers the worst air in the state.² What's more, these ultrafine particles are an emerging threat -- not regulated, but increasingly understood as a major health risk. Right now, most T buses and all commuter rail trains use dirty diesel engines. These contribute to ground-level ozone and particulate pollution, which triggers asthma, and causes and exacerbates heart attacks, lung cancer, and of course COVID-19. The MBTA is planning to switch to electric trains and buses, which is exactly what we need. But even while they talk about these plans, they’re shifting dirty air away from wealthy and majority-white areas, and into the lungs of Black, Brown, Asian, immigrant, and low-income folks. That means more asthma attacks, more lives lost to heart and lung disease. Just look at their plans for buses. Currently, many buses use overhead electric wires -- you’ve probably seen these around Harvard Square and in wealthy communities like Belmont and Watertown. These buses have zero tailpipe emissions. Compare that with the diesel buses in Nubian Square. If the T really cared about Black Lives, they would be replacing the dirty diesel buses first. But instead, they are starting by replacing the already-zero-emission buses in Harvard. And to make matters worse, the MBTA plans to replace the Silver Line buses with diesel buses that have a battery. But instead of using the overhead wires, these buses will charge their batteries by burning extra diesel in the majority-Latinx, lower-income communities of East Boston and Chelsea, while coasting on battery power through the wealthy, white Seaport. Tell the MBTA: prioritize air quality in BIPOC communities that suffer the most.
We’d also like to see the MBTA act by electrifying the Fairmount commuter rail line first. It runs through Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park, including many neighborhoods that are predominantly Black, thanks to decades of racist redlining. Not coincidentally, the MBTA has historically underserved these neighborhoods, leaving many to rely on dirty diesel buses. We’ve successfully advocated for running the Fairmount line more frequently during the pandemic. It should run still more frequently with smaller, fully-electric trains. If T officials are looking for a way to show that Black Lives Matter to them (as well as the lives of Indigenous People and People of Color), this would be a good way to start. There’s one more important change we’re calling on the MBTA to make. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been asking the MBTA to restore service for the essential workers and others who depend on it for everyday travel. Stepping onto a crowded bus today isn’t just unpleasant -- it’s dangerous for everyone onboard. Of course, low-income and Black and Brown people are more often stuck using transit. So the T needs to restore service in these places fastest. Air quality in Boston is a matter of life and death. If Black lives, Brown lives, Asian lives matter to the people who run the MBTA, they need to start doing better to clean up our air.
|
