Download Article
How our health, environment, and economy are impacted by climate change
Download Article
Climate change may be a global issue, but it also impacts our day-to-day lives. The rising temperatures and severe weather caused by climate change impact the availability of food, your health, your living conditions, and even your wallet. In this article, we’ll share how climate change affects everyday life for people around the world, who it impacts most, and what you can do to help fight it. Also, because there’s so much misinformation about climate change out there, we’ll help you learn how to identify reliable content and combat harmful climate change myths.
Climate Change Effects on Everyday Life
Climate change causes an increase in temperatures and severe weather, which limits the availability of food and water. It also exposes you to more illnesses and diseases, like heat stroke and asthma. Dealing with extreme temperatures and weather uses up more energy, which increases the cost of living.
Steps
Section 1 of 3:
The Effects of Climate Change on Daily Life
Download Article
-
Health and wellbeing Rising temperatures and air pollution caused by burning coal and oil can lead to several health risks, like heat stroke, dehydration, asthma, allergies, and respiratory disease. Severe rain and flooding also increase your exposure to waterborne illnesses and chemical contaminants. [1] X Research source Additionally, the real or perceived stress of experiencing severe weather events can increase your risk of developing anxiety, PTSD, or depression. [2] X Trustworthy Source World Health Organization Health information and news provided by the World Health Organization Go to source
- Warmer temperatures also cause mosquitoes and ticks to appear earlier and thrive in more areas, resulting in greater exposure to vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease and malaria.
- Going through severe weather events like fires, hurricanes, droughts, and flooding also increases your risk of physical harm.
-
Food Higher temperatures and more severe weather reduce crop and seafood production, making it harder for you to get the food you need. Important crops like wheat and corn are harder to grow and less nutritious due to droughts and flooding that affect soil erosion and nutrients. [3] X Trustworthy Source United States Environmental Protection Agency Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices Go to source Warmer water temperatures affect fish and shellfish’s ability to reproduce and expose them to harmful algae contamination. [4] X Research source
- High heat and more severe weather also make it more difficult for agricultural workers to farm and fish, which disrupts food production even further.
- Severe weather also slows down the food distribution system by damaging roads and waterways, increasing food insecurity around the globe.
- High temperatures and droughts also limit the availability of water, while extreme weather like flooding can contaminate it.
Advertisement -
Cities and infrastructure Roads and bridges are damaged by flooding and other severe weather conditions, making it more difficult for you to get around your city and access important areas like hospitals and grocery stores. Extreme temperatures and weather also put a lot of strain on the energy grid and communication systems, affecting your ability to cool your home or workspace and get help when you need it. [5] X Trustworthy Source United States Environmental Protection Agency Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices Go to source
- Coastal cities experience more climate change-related damage than inland cities. Rising sea levels and erosion lead to more flooding and destruction of roads, bridges, and buildings.
-
Cost of living As the effects of climate change increase, prices increase, too. Higher temperatures and severe weather like droughts cause you to use more energy and water, hiking up your bill each month. Because climate change affects agricultural production and the transportation of goods, food, clothes, and household products are also more expensive. [6] X Research source
- Building materials and appliances that combat the effects of climate change also tend to be pricier, making it more expensive for you to buy or rent a house.
-
Tourism Climate change is affecting natural areas around the globe, reducing your ability to visit these spectacular sights and decreasing tourism revenue for countries that depend on it. Droughts and wildfires are damaging lakes and forests while rising sea levels and warming waters are eroding beaches and destroying coral reefs. Rising temperatures limit snowfall, making colder areas less of a destination, too. [7] X Research source
- Tourism doesn’t just affect tourists—people who live in tourist areas depend on tourism to make money and survive.
- Activities that contribute to climate change, like deforestation, are also responsible for damaging natural areas and affecting tourism. [8] X Research source
-
Safety Food scarcity, rising prices, poor health, and stress caused by climate change can lead to increases in conflict and violence. [9] X Research source When climate change causes people to be displaced, women's and girls' risk for gender-based violence increases. [10] X Research source
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Tips
- Avoid repeating climate change conspiracies or myths when correcting misinformation. Repeating disinformation can amplify and spread it, even if you’re disproving it.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
References
- ↑ https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/outreach/IPCC_AR6_WGII_FactSheet_Health.pdf
- ↑ https://www.who.int/news/item/03-06-2022-why-mental-health-is-a-priority-for-action-on-climate-change
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-impacts-agriculture-and-food-supply
- ↑ https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northeast/topic/effects-climate-change-aquaculture-gulf-maine
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-impacts-built-environment
- ↑ https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Climate_Change_Household_Finances.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/system/files/documents/ipcc-ar5-implications-for-tourism-briefing-prin.pdf
- ↑ https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/forests-can-help-us-limit-climate-change-here-how
- ↑ https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/07/climate-change-risks-new-violent-conflict-how-respond
- ↑ https://www.unfpa.org/news/five-ways-climate-change-hurts-women-and-girls
- ↑ https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
- ↑ https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/
- ↑ https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change
- ↑ https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-health-socially-vulnerable-people
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-health-workers
- ↑ https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-environmental-and-climate-injustice-affects-the-lgbtqi-community/
- ↑ https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/devastating-worlds-poor-climate-change-threatens-development-gains-already-achieved
- ↑ https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/who-is-responsible-for-climate-change/
- ↑ https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/ccp6/
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 231 times.
Advertisement
100%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
