The United States is a large country spanning thousands of miles across the North American continent, including the state of Alaska and the island chain of Hawaii. Many problems exist in the United States regarding drastic weather events, including wildfires, flooding, extreme heat, and drought. Although some of these severe weather events used to be limited to specific areas, such as wildfires in the West and drought in the Southwest, respectively, these phenomena are becoming more widespread in different regions.
As the world heats up, the United States is experiencing record-breaking heat across all 50 states. Heat-related deaths have increased in recent decades as record-breaking temperatures increase every year. A large city can become an “urban heat island” when heat waves happen, leading to more incredible deaths due to increased heat-trapping infrastructure. People who are of lower socioeconomic status and people of color are typically most affected by heat. According to the EPA.gov website, since 1979, over 11,000 heat-related deaths have occurred in the United States. This is bound to increase as temperatures continue to soar.
In addition, particularly during the summer in recent years, wildfires have raged across much of the Western half of the United States. However, they have also occurred in places such as Alaska and Hawaii. Wildfires burn down homes, kill people and livestock, destroy property and resources, and are costly and extremely difficult to tame, especially if they are larger. One example of more extensive wildfires was the Maui wildfires that occurred due to unusually high prevailing wind conditions in the summer of 2023. The fires burnt down around 2,200 structures and caused $5.5 billion in damage.
The Southwestern United States has become particularly famous for severe drought conditions that have led to agricultural and residential water use restrictions. Record-breaking high temperatures and a lack of precipitation cause dangerously dry conditions, which can increase the potential for wildfires. According to the US Geological Survey website, as of June 2024, drought conditions were present in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
As the United States adjusts to the effects of climate change, policies, and programs have been enacted in response to increasing extreme weather events. An example of this includes the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which has been implemented to supply air conditioning to those below the poverty level. Additionally, in 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $600 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to launch a new initiative to hire more federal firefighters to combat wildfires.
In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration created more funding for climate resiliency grants for communities through programs such as the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance grants. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) manages the grant programs. The effectiveness of these programs is measured by the federal government and the local community’s evaluation of the improvements implemented after receiving a grant.
Another program that the Environmental Protection Agency manages is the Community Change Grants Program. This program provides close to $2 billion in funding for “disadvantaged communities [to implement] projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges, including inequitable exposure to extreme heat.” Funding for this was brought about by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
As climate change continues to cause record-breaking high temperatures and drastic weather events, further action is imperative to build resilient and prepared communities. As long as we continue to vote for climate-forward policymakers, we can continue to react and be proactive in mitigating disasters and emergencies from changing weather patterns and save money, property, and, most importantly, people’s lives.
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard US Country Manager Abby Carlson.