What Climate Change Looks Like Without a Front Door
When a severe heat dome settles over Portland or a winter freeze covers the city in ice, most of us check the weather forecast, adjust the thermostat, and stay indoors. We might complain about the heat or the cold, but our safety is rarely in doubt.
But what if you didn't have a thermostat? What if you didn't even have a door?
For thousands of people experiencing homelessness in Portland, climate change is not a distant issue about rising sea levels or melting glaciers. It is a daily struggle for survival. As extreme weather events become more frequent across the Pacific Northwest, the absence of basic necessities like shade, clean drinking water, and climate-controlled shelter can quickly become life-threatening.
Imagine spending a 103-degree afternoon outside with no place to cool down and no access to cold water. Imagine trying to sleep through a freezing winter night while your blankets are soaked from rain and temperatures continue to drop. These are not rare situations—they are realities faced by many of Portland's unhoused residents every year.
Homelessness has long been viewed as an economic issue, but it is increasingly becoming an environmental justice issue as well. The people most exposed to extreme weather are often those with the fewest resources to protect themselves. As a community, we cannot assume someone else will solve the problem. We share a responsibility to ensure that our most vulnerable neighbors are not left to face dangerous weather conditions alone.
We may not be able to solve climate change overnight, but we can take steps to protect people in our own city today. Why should we care? Because the strength of a community is measured not by how it treats its most comfortable residents, but by how it protects those with the least protection when conditions become the most severe.
Read more:https://www.portland.gov/bps/climate-action/climate-emergency/about-climate-emergency-declaration
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