While global warming is sometimes portrayed as something to be handled far into the future and that does not affect the daily lives of ordinary people, nothing could be further from the truth.

According to the American Lung Association, nearly half of Americans live in counties that have unhealthy levels of dirty air, which can be exacerbated by climate change when temperatures rise. This disproportionately affects African-Americans, particularly children and the elderly, who are more likely to live closest to the sources of carbon emissions.

The American Lung Association has graded the air quality of Henrico and Charles City counties as an “F.” Richmond recently was dubbed the asthma capital in the United States by the National Resources Defense Council, making the Metro Richmond area a hotbed for potential health risks.

Furthermore, the EPA continuously has stated that climate change contributes to asthma attacks and hospitalizations. Because African-Americans have particularly high asthma rates, the community in Richmond is very much at risk for the burdensome health impacts wrought by global warming.

In addition to protecting our planet, we also are combating the inadvertent impact the phenomenon has on the African-American community by lowering carbon emissions. Initiatives such as the Clean Power Plan will prevent thousands of premature deaths, as well as more than 100,000 asthma attacks.

While the Obama administration is trying to implement the measure, big polluters are influencing Congress. Our U.S. Sen. Mark Warner has not yet come out in support of the Clean Power Plan. It is imperative to let our elected officials know that this issue is of grave personal importance and should not be overlooked.

NICOLE GUILFOYLE

Richmond