The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed across the globe, instead, they affect some communities – many of them coastally located and lower income – much more than others. Puerto Rico’s Playa de Ponce Barrio is one such community.

Subject to numerous high heat days, and repeated storm and contaminated flood events, climate change is a daily challenge for Playa residents, many of whom are older and all of whom rely on the island’s fragile electrical infrastructure for their daily wellbeing. Thankfully, Playa is home to a number of talented and committed community-based organizations and activists working tirelessly to address these challenges. And David Southgate, an embedded social science researcher and PPI’s Senior Research Associate – is among them.