Los Angeles County Climate Cost Study

The report estimates that governments in Los Angeles County will need to spend at least $12.5 billion through 2040 to adapt to climate change, with municipal governments bearing the largest share. The highest costs are associated with stormwater management to mitigate flooding ($4.3 billion) and combating urban heat islands through cool pavements ($2.5 billion) and tree planting ($1.4 billion). The study highlights that these costs disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color, and argues that fossil fuel companies should be held legally accountable for these expenses.

• Municipal, county, state, and federal governments in Los Angeles County are estimated to spend at least $12.5 billion through 2040 on climate adaptation, averaging approximately $780 million per year.
• The most significant expense is improving stormwater drainage infrastructure, such as bioswales and porous pavement, which is estimated to cost $4.3 billion through 2040.
• Addressing urban heat islands is the second most expensive priority, requiring $2.5 billion for cool pavements in public parking lots and $1.4 billion for planting and maintaining urban trees through 2040.
• Climate adaptation costs are disproportionately higher in low-income areas and communities of color. Per capita costs for urban canopy increase are 3.1 times higher in high Hispanic areas and 2.6 times higher in high non-Hispanic Black areas compared to high white areas.
• Proactive road maintenance is more cost-effective than reactive repairs; the report finds that reactive repairs will cost at least $340 million more than proactive measures through 2040.
• Wildfire mitigation through mechanical intervention (clearing fuel) is estimated to cost $919 million through 2040, with the unincorporated Antelope Valley facing the highest costs at $356 million.
• Public health costs related to climate change are estimated at $1.1 billion, primarily driven by a projected 270% increase in West Nile Virus cases by 2040, costing $993 million to treat.
• Protecting coastal infrastructure from sea level rise is estimated to cost $576 million through 2040, which represents 34% of the Los Angeles County FY2023 Beaches & Harbors budget.
• The financial burden is unevenly distributed across government levels, with municipal governments expected to pay approximately $9.2 billion of the total cost.

APA

Center for Climate Integrity (2024). Los Angeles County Climate Cost Study. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/LACounty-ClimateCosts-2024.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Integrity. Los Angeles County Climate Cost Study. 2024. https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/LACounty-ClimateCosts-2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Integrity |title=Los Angeles County Climate Cost Study |date=April 2024 |url=https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/LACounty-ClimateCosts-2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimateintegrity2024los, author = {{Center for Climate Integrity}}, title = {{Los Angeles County Climate Cost Study}}, institution = {Center for Climate Integrity}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/LACounty-ClimateCosts-2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }