Climate change-fueled weather disasters: Costs to state and local economies

Earth’s warming climate is fueling the increasing frequency and intensity of weather and climate disasters. A growing body of climate science research suggests connections between anthropogenic climate change and worsening extreme weather events, including hurricanes, floods, severe storms with tornadoes, winter storms, freezes, droughts, and wildfires. Increasingly, these weather disasters result in unprecedented economic costs, making clear the need to invest in bold action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—the underlying drivers of climate change. This report draws on the best available scientific research to show the varying degrees of connection between climate change and each type of weather disaster in order to gain insight into the price Americans are paying for worsening weather disasters.