Climate

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About

Climate is the long-term pattern of temperature and precipitation for local, regional or global areas. Climate can be described by averages and extremes of temperature and precipitation.

Relationship to health and equity

The climate has changed many times throughout Earth’s history, but recently Earth’s average surface temperature has increased due to human activities that release heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. This human-induced increase in global average temperature has varying impacts on local or regional areas and involves melting polar ice, changing weather patterns, increasing storm severity, rising sea levels and decreasing biodiversity. Climate change directly impacts the health of communities through extreme heat, and stronger, longer and more frequent storms and droughts. Any action we take to lessen and adapt to climate change will improve health and save lives.

We all deserve to live in resilient communities that support all residents in withstanding rising temperatures, stronger storms and increased flooding, and disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires. Yet, marginalized populations such as women, children, older adults, people with low incomes and people with pre-existing health conditions experience disproportionate negative effects of climate change. Building parks and planting trees can reduce the urban heat island effect and improve air quality while sequestering carbon dioxide. Creating local, sustainable agriculture and food systems can improve nutrition and food security while using less energy. Local renewable energy projects can create jobs, increase resilience, and lower emissions of greenhouse gases.

Relationship to systems and structures

Climate change has impacts on and is impacted by, all levels of society, including laws and policies of countries, states, and local governments, business and corporate institutional practices, and individual actions.

The prevailing worldviews and narratives we hold in society have an enormous impact on the climate. Fossil fuel companies have suppressed or funded research to downplay the certainty of climate change. One company even created and marketed the personal Carbon Footprint calculator to falsely promote a view that climate change is due to individual actions and can be solved by individual actions.

However, climate change requires us to build power together to demand change. We have done it before; the Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970 in response to public outcry and demonstrations that were sparked by environmental disasters in the 1960s. Congress passed or updated landmark environmental protection laws after the agency was created.

We have an opportunity to re-build more equitable and resilient communities. We do not need to depend on fossil fuels for energy, and we can implement location specific strategies to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Additional Reading

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Measures

Indicator of thresholds met for the following adverse climate and weather-related event categories: extreme heat (300 or more days above 90F), moderate or greater drought (65 or more weeks), and disaster (2 or more presidential disaster declarations) over the five-year period.