As the U.S.-Iran war rages on with no clear end in sight, gasoline and oil prices continue to rise. And as temperatures spike with the arrival of summer, homeowners and renters will have to make difficult decisions on whether to cool their homes – and face a steep energy bill – or suffer in the heat.
Yale Climate Connections spoke to Natasha Vidangos of the Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, about why Latinos are particularly hard-hit by rising energy costs. Vidangos is the associate vice president of innovation and technology policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, where she oversees work to advance an efficient and equitable clean energy transition.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Yale Climate Connections: Let’s talk a little about the reality of our Latino communities here in the United States. Right now, we know that Hispanic households are spending more on energy costs. Why are we in this situation?
Natasha Vidangos: Well, it comes from multiple reasons. First, there’s the simple truth that energy costs are rising. We’re seeing the cost of oil going up and the cost of gas going up. So that’s a problem that’s really affecting the whole country. And beyond that, we see that the Hispanic community is paying more on top of what the average American family pays.
