Los Angeles County Climate Impacts and Costs

The report details how Los Angeles County is affected by severe storms, rising sea levels, temperature extremes, and extreme drought. It highlights that flood risk threatens 27% of buildings in the city of Los Angeles and that the county spent 64% of the last 23 years in drought. The document provides extensive lists of potential costs, including infrastructure projects like seawalls, energy efficiency retrofits, and water treatment updates, while noting that disadvantaged populations are disproportionately exposed to flood risks.

• Climate change is increasing the frequency of severe storms and extreme wet years in Los Angeles County, with flood risk threatening 27% of buildings in the city of Los Angeles, including critical infrastructure and hospitals.
• Flood risk in the city of Los Angeles disproportionately affects non-Hispanic Black and other disadvantaged populations, threatening over 400,000 people and $50 billion in property in areas exceeding federally defined floodplains.
• Sea levels in Los Angeles County are projected to rise by approximately one foot by 2050, which will increase coastal erosion and flooding regardless of mitigation efforts.
• By 2050, Los Angeles County will face hotter and longer heat waves; coastal and central areas will see a threefold increase in days exceeding 95°F, while the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys will experience even more extreme temperatures.
• Los Angeles County has experienced significant drought, spending 64% of the last 23 years in drought conditions and 21% in extreme drought since 2000.
• Wildfires, exacerbated by drought, put 30% of buildings in Los Angeles County at risk, including hospitals, and have contributed to the death of 170 million trees across California between 2010 and 2021.
• The report identifies substantial projected costs for California, including $523.5 million for seawalls by 2040 and $1 billion for school cooling costs by 2025.

APA

Center for Climate Integrity (2025). Los Angeles County Climate Impacts and Costs. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI_LosAngelesCounty_Impacts_Costs_2023.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Integrity. Los Angeles County Climate Impacts and Costs. 2025. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI_LosAngelesCounty_Impacts_Costs_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Integrity |title=Los Angeles County Climate Impacts and Costs |date=2025 |url=https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI_LosAngelesCounty_Impacts_Costs_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimateintegrity2025los, author = {{Center for Climate Integrity}}, title = {{Los Angeles County Climate Impacts and Costs}}, institution = {Center for Climate Integrity}, year = {2025}, url = {https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/CCI_LosAngelesCounty_Impacts_Costs_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }