Arizona Climate Impacts and Costs

The report details how the climate crisis is accelerating in Arizona, leading to increased drought, extreme heat, and flooding. It quantifies specific impacts—such as a 71% decline in Lake Mead's volume since 2000 and nearly 500 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County during the summer of 2023—and outlines the extensive infrastructure, public health, and water management costs required for adaptation.

• Arizona has experienced a prolonged drought since 1994, with average annual precipitation decreasing by 0.92 inches per decade between 1991 and 2020.
• Water security is severely threatened as Lake Mead's volume has declined by 71% since 2000, and a May 2023 agreement requires Arizona to reduce its Lake Mead water use by 21%.
• Wildfire risks have increased, with Arizona experiencing 44 to 55 more fire weather days annually compared to the 1970s; between 2018 and 2022, 9,598 wildfires burned over 2.1 million acres in the state.
• Extreme heat is increasing, with average annual temperatures rising by approximately 2°F over the last century and projected to increase by another 3.5 to 9.5°F by 2100.
• Heat-related mortality and infrastructure failure are rising; in Maricopa County, nearly 500 people died from heat-related illness in the summer of 2023, and power infrastructure is expected to see 3 times more mechanical failures due to increased temperatures.
• Climate-driven cooling costs for schools in Arizona are projected to exceed $138 million by 2025, affecting nearly one million students.
• Extreme precipitation events are projected to increase surface water runoff and soil erosion in Arizona by up to 92% by 2050 compared to 1999 levels.

APA

Center for Climate Integrity (2023). Arizona Climate Impacts and Costs. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI-Arizona-Impacts-Costs-2023.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Integrity. Arizona Climate Impacts and Costs. 2023. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI-Arizona-Impacts-Costs-2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Integrity |title=Arizona Climate Impacts and Costs |date=2023 |url=https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI-Arizona-Impacts-Costs-2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimateintegrity2023arizona, author = {{Center for Climate Integrity}}, title = {{Arizona Climate Impacts and Costs}}, institution = {Center for Climate Integrity}, year = {2023}, url = {https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI-Arizona-Impacts-Costs-2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }