A new national report finds that the impacts of weather extremes, exacerbated by climate change, are far-reaching across every region of the United States -- and it's costing us big time.
The Fifth National Climate Assessment, which evaluates climate impacts across 10 U.S. regions, shows that the impact of natural disasters are costing the nation an estimated $150 billion each year.
So far this year, the U.S. has already experienced 25 weather and climate disasters that each resulted in more than $73 billion total, according to the White House. For some extreme weather events like Hurricane Idalia and the fires in Hawaii, the full cost is not yet completely known.
The report makes clear that climate change is exacting a toll in every region of the country, and that extreme weather events are exacerbating social inequities.
"The Assessment is a stark reminder that, if we don't act with urgency to tackle the climate crisis, Americans will experience increased suffering at the mercy of a changing environment," Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.
The climate conditions and impacts people are experiencing today are unprecedented over thousands of years, according to the report. People across the country are experiencing warmer temperatures and longer lasting heatwaves. Meantime, heavy precipitation, drought, flooding, wildfire, and hurricanes, are increasing in frequency and severity.
"Each additional increment of warming is expected to lead to more damage and greater economic losses," the report noted, "while the risk of catastrophic or unforeseen consequences also increases."
Climate change exacerbates long-standing social inequities experienced by underserved and overburdened communities, contributing to persistent disparities in the resources needed to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate impacts, according to the report. Low-income and communities of color face higher risks of illness and death from extreme heat, climate-drive floods and air pollution compared with White people, and often lack access to adequate flood infrastructure, green spaces, safe housing and often lack protective resources.
The report also shows that climate change is harming physical, mental, spiritual and community health and well-being.
The red flags aren't going unnoticed. According to the report, mitigation and adaptation efforts are underway in every single region of the country. Actions taken now to accelerate net emissions reductions and adaptation to ongoing changes can reduce risks for current and future generations.
"Each increment of warming that the world avoids — through actions that cut emissions or remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — reduces the risks and harmful impacts of climate change," the report noted. "While there are still uncertainties about how the planet will react to rapid warming, the degree to which climate change will continue to worsen is largely in human hands."
Climate Change Impacts in Regions Across America
Northeast — Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia
This region is experiencing increases in the frequency of extreme weather events and other climate-driven changes, including intense rainstorms, warmer ocean temperatures, and rapid sea level rise. For example, the amount of rain that falls during the heaviest downpours has increased by approximately 60% in the Northeast since the 1950s—the largest increase in the United States. Many regional climate impacts, including extreme heat and flooding, disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color.
Southeast — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
This region's growing population faces rising sea levels and increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of heat waves that lead to greater risks of wildfires. Climate stressors, including drought and extreme heat, are expected to disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income communities who struggle to afford energy bills, especially for air conditioning. Due to increasing energy demands and extreme weather events, there is a growing number of power outages in the region that affect more than 1,000 residents for longer than an hour.
Midwest — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin
The Midwest is facing rising temperatures, drought, extreme precipitation, and other climate changes. These changes affect Midwestern ecosystems, agriculture, infrastructure, and human health, as well as livelihoods and cultural practices that rely on natural resources.
Northern Great Plains — Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
The Northern Great Plains are experiencing unprecedented extremes, including severe droughts, floods, and wildfires. With additional global warming, the region would expect to see some of the highest increases in annual flooding damage costs in the US. At the same time, drought is projected to increase, occurring as much as 20% more frequently by the end of the century. These changes threaten economic sectors, such as agriculture and recreation, and affect the mental and physical health of residents.
Southern Great Plains — Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas
Increasing frequency and intensity of precipitation, warmer ocean temperatures, extreme heat, and rising sea levels are degrading the air, lands, and waters that people in the Southern Great Plains rely on for economic, recreational, and cultural activities. By 2050, annual average temperatures are projected to exceed historical record levels in all three states. These impacts compound existing burdens on disadvantaged communities that have the fewest resources to prepare and adapt to climate change.
Northwest — Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Higher temperatures are leading to declining snowpack, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels. These changes, combined with increasing risks of flooding, wildfires, and other climate hazards, threaten human health, ecosystems, infrastructure, and industries.
Southwest — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah
Climate change is threatening water resources, increasing challenges to food and fiber production, and compromising human health in the Southwest through drought, wildfire, intense precipitation, sea level rise, and marine heatwaves. Climate-driven changes to infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, and other economic sectors are impacting some communities disproportionately. These communities include farmers and ranchers, especially Hispanic, women, and migrant farmworkers; food-insecure households; Indigenous Peoples facing water access challenges; and coastal communities that are reliant on a declining population of traditional fish species.
Alaska
Alaska is warming two to three times faster than the global average, with increases in annual average temperatures since 1971 as high as 6.2°F in northern Alaska. The Alaska snowfall season is projected to shorten and snowpack is projected to decrease significantly in the southern and western parts of the state. Warming temperatures, thawing permafrost, and other climate-related changes are damaging ecosystems, disrupting cultural practices, harming fisheries and other livelihoods, exacerbating health disparities, and placing critical infrastructure at risk.
Hawaii and U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands
Warmer sea surface temperatures, sea level rise, and ocean acidification are degrading coral reefs, resulting in coastal damages that cost approximately $1.2 billion each year. By 2050, fisheries catch are projected to decline by 40% compared to the early 2000s. These climate changes impair access to clean water and healthy food, undermine human health, threaten cultural resources and the built environment, exacerbate inequities, disrupt economic activity, and damage diverse ecosystems across the region.
U.S. Caribbean — Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
Warmer air and ocean temperatures are leading to intense hurricanes and increasingly powerful storms. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes is projected to increase as the climate crisis worsens. Paired with rising sea levels and other climate changes, these impacts are harming human health—particularly in underserved communities. Changes in precipitation and extreme events are expected to increase outbreaks of disease and can also disrupt vital local services, such as health care and water quality management.