The Climate Change Connection to U.S. Public Health

A fact sheet from the World Resources Institute detailing how climate change and extreme weather events increase health vulnerabilities in the United States, specifically regarding heat waves, wildfires, flooding, and respiratory health.

• Climate change increases human health threats through more frequent and intense extreme weather, diminished air and water quality, and a higher risk of disease. Specifically, a warming climate is linked to more intense heat waves; for example, the conditions that caused the 2011 Texas drought are now 20 times more likely than they were in the 1960s due to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Warming temperatures and changing precipitation patterns create specific environmental hazards: longer and more intense wildfire seasons produce smoke that degrades air quality, while extreme precipitation leads to severe flooding and sewage overflows into waterways when drainage systems are overwhelmed.
• Warmer temperatures are extending the duration of allergy seasons in certain areas, which negatively impacts individuals with respiratory issues.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The Climate Change Connection to U.S. Public Health. https://www.wri.org/research/climate-change-connection-us-public-health

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The Climate Change Connection to U.S. Public Health. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/climate-change-connection-us-public-health.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The Climate Change Connection to U.S. Public Health |url=https://www.wri.org/research/climate-change-connection-us-public-health |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendclimate, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The Climate Change Connection to U.S. Public Health}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/climate-change-connection-us-public-health}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }