Search Climate Insights Directory
367 results
High Heat Index Days
A Climate Central analysis of 239 contiguous U.S. locations from 1979 to 2022 shows that 201 locations experienced an increase in annual days with a heat index of 90°F or higher, averaging 10 additional days. The most significant increases occurred in the South, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest, with McAllen, Texas, seeing the highest increase of 32 more days. The report emphasizes that high humidity multiplies heat risks by limiting the body's ability to cool through sweating, leading to preventable but serious illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations including children, seniors, and low-income communities.
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Document type: Fact sheet
More Extremely Hot Days
A Climate Central analysis of 241 U.S. locations shows that 195 (81%) have experienced an increase in the annual number of extremely hot days since 1970, with an average increase of 11 days. The report highlights that extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the U.S. and disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and people of color living in urban heat islands. Specific cities like Austin, Texas, and San Angelo, Texas, have seen significant increases of 47 and 39 additional extremely hot days annually, respectively.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Pennsylvania’s Looming Climate Cost Crisis
Pennsylvania's municipal governments are projected to spend at least $15.47 billion by 2040 to adapt to climate change, with stormwater drainage capacity representing the largest expense at $7.8 billion. The report highlights that these costs will disproportionately affect rural, high-poverty, and Environmental Justice areas, with some small municipalities facing annual per capita costs exceeding $1,000. The authors argue that major oil and gas companies should be held legally accountable for these costs rather than taxpayers.
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Document type: Report
Avertissement sérieux : préparer les régions du Canada à la chaleur extrême
The document highlights the growing threat of extreme heat in Canada, noting its severe health impacts and economic costs. It advocates for a combination of mechanical cooling, urban greening, updated labor standards, and improved early warning systems to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Statement
Counting the costs of climate change: Value of a Statistical Life
The document advocates for incorporating the Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) into climate adaptation planning in Canada. It argues that traditional economic accounting often prioritizes tangible property damage over less quantifiable health impacts from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, potentially leading to the undervaluing of life-saving measures. By using VSL—a measure of the economic benefit of reduced mortality based on public willingness to pay—governments can more accurately conduct cost-benefit analyses and develop comprehensive policies that address both human and economic costs.
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Document type: Statement
Heed the Heat Warning
The document highlights the dangers of extreme heat in Canada, noting that 619 people died during the 2021 B.C. heat wave, with 93% lacking functional home cooling. It advocates for a combination of mechanical cooling (heat pumps, air conditioners) and urban greening, noting that in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, these could reduce heat-related hospitalization costs by 30% by mid-century. The text also recommends implementing occupational heat standards, earlier public heat warnings, and flexible workplace schedules to protect workers and maintain productivity, citing that schedule adaptations in B.C. could save $4 million annually in GDP losses by the 2030s.
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Document type: Statement
Stratégie nationale d’adaptation : plus nécessaire que jamais
The Canadian Climate Institute emphasizes the necessity of the federal government's national adaptation strategy to protect infrastructure and communities from wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. While the strategy sets national priorities and measurable goals, the Institute argues that current funding is insufficient and calls for stronger intergovernmental coordination and accountability mechanisms to translate the strategy into tangible results.
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Document type: Statement
Sweltering Summer Nights
Since 1970, average summer nighttime temperatures have increased in 95% of 241 analyzed U.S. locations, warming by an average of 3°F. These 'sweltering nights' are warming faster than daytime highs and increase heat stress, particularly for vulnerable populations and low-income households lacking air conditioning. The document highlights that the western U.S. has experienced the greatest warming, with Reno, Nevada, seeing the highest increase at 17.4°F.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Analysis: India’s fatal sweltering heat in June linked to climate change
The report finds that a three-day extreme heat event in Uttar Pradesh from June 14-16, 2023, was made at least two times more likely by human-caused climate change, with some areas seeing a three-fold increase in likelihood. The event resulted in at least 34 fatalities in Ballia and led to school closures in Bihar. The analysis highlights that the combination of extreme heat and high humidity increased the severity of the event, following a previous humid heat wave in April 2023 that was made over 30 times more likely by climate change.
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Document type: Report
Summary of the 2022 IISD Forum on Natural Infrastructure Performance and Metrics
The 2022 Forum on Natural Infrastructure Performance and Metrics, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, examined how to scale nature-based solutions to address aging water infrastructure in Canada's Prairies. Participants identified that a stronger business case for natural infrastructure requires tailored metrics and data to make economic benefits visible in regulatory and funding decisions. The forum highlighted the urgency of addressing an investment deficit in crumbling water infrastructure to mitigate risks from flooding, drought, extreme heat, and wildfires.
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Document type: Executive summary
Hope Flows from Action: Rebuilding with Resilient Foundations
The paper examines the 2021 climate disasters in the Fraser Canyon region, specifically the destruction of Lytton, to highlight the fragility of Canadian infrastructure. It presents the Kanaka Bar Indian Band's strategies for water, food, and shelter security as scalable examples of climate adaptation and resilience.
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Document type: Research paper
Assurer reconstruction fondations résilientes canyon fraser
The document examines the devastation of Lytton in 2021 and proposes a reconstruction framework based on 'physiological foundations' to ensure climate resilience. It highlights the Kanaka Bar Indian Band's proactive investments in site-specific weather monitoring, gravity-fed water systems, controlled-environment agriculture, and passive housing design as scalable models for 62,000 other high-risk Canadian communities.
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Document type: Report
La solution est communautaire
The document examines the impact of the 2021 heat wave on five First Nations in British Columbia, highlighting how colonial housing policies increased vulnerability while community solidarity and traditional knowledge provided critical protection. It details specific regional impacts—from urban challenges in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation to the infrastructure dependencies of the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk Nation)—and argues for resilience planning rooted in Indigenous rights and localized data.
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Document type: Case study
2021 extreme heat emergency experience british columbia first nations
The document examines the 2021 extreme heat emergency's impact on five First Nations in British Columbia, categorised as urban (Tsleil-Waututh), rural (Kanaka Bar, Adams Lake, and Líl̓wat), and remote (Haíɫzaqv). It highlights how colonial housing policies created systemic vulnerabilities, while Indigenous kinship and cultural values provided protective resilience. Key findings include the severe disruption of food sovereignty, the failure of traditional water-based cooling due to rising temperatures, and the success of fuel-switching to heat pumps in remote areas. The report argues for trauma-informed, site-specific heat planning that moves beyond hazard-specific silos and integrates Indigenous knowledge.
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Document type: Case study
protect-farmworkers-and-food-chain-workers-in-farm-bill-db4527ed47101129.pdf
A coalition of organizations recommends that the next U.S. farm bill establish a dedicated Farmworker and Food Chain Worker Office, replenish pandemic relief funds, and expand disaster assistance for workers. The proposal calls for stricter meatpacking line speed regulations, increased research into pesticide alternatives, and the implementation of labor standards in USDA procurement. Additionally, it advocates for pathways to farm ownership for farmworkers, a weather warning system for workers, the protection of SNAP benefits, and enhanced protections for forestry workers on public lands.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2023
The report finds that a strong majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring and is mostly human-caused, with 66% expressing worry about the issue. While many perceive significant risks to their local communities and the United States—particularly from extreme heat, sea level rise, and wildfires—most Americans rarely discuss the topic with friends and family. The findings also indicate a general rejection of fatalism, with 66% disagreeing that it is too late to act, although a significant gap remains in public understanding of the strength of the scientific consensus on human-caused warming.
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Document type: Report
A House of Dreams: Dipikaben’s Tryst with Climate-Resilient Housing
The document details a project by the Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) and Selco Foundation to upgrade the home of Dipika ben Malik, a seamstress in the Bhagwatinagar slum of Ahmedabad. The original structure, featuring an asbestos roof and low plinth, caused productivity losses and increased electricity costs during heatwaves and flooding. The intervention replaced the roof with PUF panels, raised the plinth level, and solarized appliances, creating a climate-resilient environment that protects the resident's income and living conditions.
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Document type: Case study
Arguments en faveur d’une adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes
The June 2021 heatwave in British Columbia was the deadliest disaster in the province's history, resulting in 619 heat-related deaths. The report estimates the economic value of these lost lives at 5.5 billion CAD using the value of a statistical life. Key vulnerabilities identified include a lack of mechanical cooling in residential and public buildings, inadequate urban canopy, and institutional failures in emergency coordination and early warning systems. Economic impacts extended to agriculture, where producers lost at least 25 million CAD in revenue, and the labor market, with significant productivity losses. Future projections suggest that without adaptation, heat-related hospitalizations could reach 6,000 per year by 2030, and annual heat-related deaths could average 1,370 by 2030. The report recommends prioritizing mechanical cooling, urban greening, updating building codes, and improving the precision and lead time of weather warnings to three days.
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Document type: Report
The case for adapting to extreme heat
The June 2021 heat wave in British Columbia was the deadliest disaster in the province's history, resulting in 619 direct heat-related deaths. The report estimates the societal cost of these lives lost at $5.5 billion using the Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) metric. Beyond mortality, the event caused $12 million in healthcare costs, significant agricultural revenue losses (at least $25 million), and disruptions to electricity and transportation infrastructure. Vulnerabilities were exacerbated by a lack of mechanical cooling in homes, inadequate urban greening, and institutional failures in disaster response and communication. The report argues that without adaptation, heat-related hospitalizations could double by 2030 and annual deaths could average 1,370 by 2030. Key recommendations include updating building codes for mechanical cooling, increasing urban forest canopies, improving weather warning lead times to three days, and implementing independent public reviews of disaster responses.
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Document type: Report
Building Community Resilience
This report by the Union of Concerned Scientists highlights the challenges and successes of frontline communities in the US and Puerto Rico in building climate resilience. It identifies four key themes: displacement, government negligence, funding inequities, and the effectiveness of community-driven solutions. The authors argue that while scientific solutions exist, a lack of political will and bureaucratic barriers hinder progress. The report provides specific recommendations to shift toward inclusive, community-led adaptation strategies that respect tribal sovereignty and prioritize the lived experiences of marginalized populations.
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Document type: Report