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The Fall 2024 report on 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that 73% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 60% attributing it primarily to human activity. While 64% express worry about global warming and 49% claim to have personally experienced its effects, social engagement remains low, with 62% rarely or never discussing the issue with family and friends. The report also highlights significant concerns regarding local environmental risks, particularly extreme heat, air pollution, and power outages.

The report finds that while 39% of Americans believe global warming is harming the health of the general population, only 16% feel it harms their own health. There is an increasing awareness of specific health risks, particularly heat stroke, air pollution, and respiratory issues, and a growing recognition that low-income people and people of color are disproportionately affected. Trust in information sources like primary care physicians and climate scientists has risen, while coal and nuclear energy are viewed as the most harmful energy sources to health.

The Fall 2024 report on 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that a strong majority of Americans (73%) believe global warming is happening, with 60% attributing it primarily to human causes. While 64% of adults express worry about global warming and many perceive it as a current harm to the United States, social engagement remains low, with 62% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. The report also highlights significant concerns regarding local environmental risks, particularly extreme heat, air pollution, and power outages.

A 2024 survey of 1,013 American adults reveals an increase in the perception that global warming harms public health, with specific concerns rising for heat stroke, air pollution, and respiratory diseases. While 39% believe global warming harms the health of Americans, only 16% feel it harms their own health. Public awareness of disproportionate impacts on low-income people and people of color has grown since 2014. Regarding energy, coal and nuclear power are viewed as the most harmful to health, while trust in first responders and primary care physicians as information sources is high.

The report identifies six climate opinion segments in the US: Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive. As of Fall 2023, a majority of Americans (56%) are either Alarmed or Concerned, with the Alarmed group growing from 15% in 2013 to 28% in 2023. The Cautious group saw the largest decline over the same decade, falling from 26% to 15%.

The report identifies six climate opinion segments in the US: Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive. As of Fall 2023, 56% of Americans are either Alarmed or Concerned, with the Alarmed segment growing from 15% in 2013 to 28% in 2023. The Cautious segment saw the largest decline over the same period, dropping from 26% to 15%.

Climate Central's analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) reveals that 90% of the global population experienced at least 10 days of temperatures strongly influenced by climate change between November 2022 and October 2023. The study highlights that one in four people faced extreme heat streaks of at least five days driven by carbon pollution, with the strongest influences observed in the developing world and specific high-impact areas like Jamaica and several U.S. cities.

A study by World Weather Attribution found that human-induced climate change significantly increased the intensity and likelihood of an early spring heat event in South America, which affected Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. The event, occurring approximately once every 30 years in the current climate, would have been 1.4 to 4.3 °C cooler without human-caused warming. The study notes that the likelihood of such an event has increased by at least 100 times due to climate change. Future warming of 2°C above pre-industrial levels is projected to make similar events five times more likely and 1.1 to 1.6 °C hotter. The researchers highlight a lack of heat action plans in the affected region, which increases vulnerability for the urban poor and ecosystems, despite the fact that adaptation can reduce morbidity and mortality.

Analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) reveals that 97% of the U.S. population experienced at least one summer day in 2023 with temperatures made at least twice as likely by climate change. The strongest impacts were concentrated in the U.S. South, Southwest, and Southeast, with San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Victoria, Texas, among the most affected cities. The period was also characterized by record-breaking heat streaks and a record number of billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S.

Analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) shows that human-caused climate change significantly increased the likelihood of record-shattering heat during the June-August 2023 period. Approximately 48% of the global population experienced at least 30 days where heat was made at least three times more likely by climate change (CSI level 3 or higher). The report highlights a stark inequity in exposure, noting that countries with the lowest historical emissions experienced three to four times more days of very strong climate fingerprints than G20 countries.

The report finds that heat pumps are the lowest-cost heating and cooling option for most Canadian households over the system's lifetime, though adoption is hindered by high upfront costs, information gaps, and structural barriers for renters. It recommends streamlining rebates, establishing one-stop shop services, and updating building codes to include cooling requirements.

The report finds that heat pumps are the most economical heating and cooling option for the majority of Canadian households over their system life cycle, particularly in cities like Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax. Despite this economic advantage, adoption remains low due to behavioral, economic, and structural barriers, including high initial costs, lack of consumer confidence, and complex government rebate programs. The document argues that heat pumps are critical for both decarbonizing residential buildings and increasing resilience against extreme heat, which has caused significant mortality in regions like British Columbia. It recommends that governments maintain financial supports, simplify application processes through 'one-stop shops', implement indoor maximum temperature limits in building codes, and mandate high-efficiency, non-polluting systems in new constructions where electrically-powered heating is most cost-effective.

The document details a pilot project in the Central Plateau region of Burkina Faso to transition from a sectoral to a regional approach for climate adaptation. Using a methodology based on the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, the project conducted a risk and vulnerability assessment (RVA) that identified agriculture, water resources, livestock, environment, and health as the most vulnerable sectors. The resulting Regional Adaptation Plan (RAP) for 20242028 includes 44 priority actions. The pilot emphasizes the necessity of involving regional stakeholders, including women and the elderly, and notes that the process requires significant financial and human resources, taking approximately one year to complete.

Analysis of 241 U.S. locations from 1970 to 2022 shows that fall temperatures have increased by an average of 2.4°F in 232 cities, with the most intense warming occurring in the Southwest. This trend is characterized by an increase in above-normal fall days, which prolongs risks related to heat-related illness, wildfires, and allergies, while increasing energy demand for cooling.

GreenLatinos advocates for the U.S. Congress to fully fund the Department of the Interior to address the 'Nature Gap'—the disproportionate lack of access to natural spaces and health benefits for Latino communities. The organization highlights the severe underrepresentation of Latino history in the National Park Service and the lack of diversity within the federal workforce, noting that Latinas earn only 54 cents for every dollar earned by non-Hispanic white men. GreenLatinos calls for the equitable conservation of 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 and the creation of more career paths in public land management for Latino communities.

Analysis of July 2023, likely Earth's record hottest month, shows that human-caused climate change significantly increased the likelihood of extreme heat globally. Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), the report finds that 6.5 billion people experienced at least one day where heat was at least three times more likely due to climate change. Particularly strong influences were noted in the Caribbean, Mexico, the southern U.S., and parts of Africa and Asia. In the U.S., 73% of the population experienced at least one day at CSI level 3 or higher, with several cities in Florida, New Mexico, and Arizona showing the strongest climate fingerprints.

The analysis finds that July 2023 was likely Earth's hottest month on record, with human-caused climate change making extreme heat significantly more likely for a vast majority of the global population. Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), the report demonstrates that 81% of people experienced at least one day where temperatures were at least three times more likely due to climate change. The strongest signals were observed in tropical regions and small island developing states, where conditions were often five times more likely due to human influence. The report highlights specific record-breaking temperatures in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, emphasizing that such extremes will increase in frequency as long as fossil fuel combustion continues.

Analysis of survey data from March 2018 to April 2023 shows that Americans are increasingly worried about extreme heat harming their local areas. Concern grew by 9 percentage points over five years, outpacing increases in worry about other climate impacts such as wildfires and droughts. A majority of Americans also recognize the link between global warming and extreme heat.

Analysis of U.S. public opinion shows a significant increase in worry about extreme heat harming local areas between 2018 and 2023, with heat now topping the list of climate-related concerns over wildfires, droughts, and flooding.

Climate Central analyzed 18,945 census tracts across 44 major U.S. cities, finding that 41 million people (approximately 55% of the analyzed population) live in areas where the urban heat island (UHI) effect increases temperatures by 8°F or more. The study identifies albedo, green space percentage, and population density as the primary drivers of this effect, with New York City exhibiting the highest average UHI index. The analysis categorizes cities by heat patterns—concentrated cores, diffused zones, or sprawling intensity—and highlights that structural inequities often lead to disproportionate heat exposure for people of color and low-income populations.