A Cooler Future Is Possible Let's Make It Happen
You don’t need us to tell you it’s miserable out. This summer’s extreme heat is affecting all of us—from mail carriers to farm workers to kids whose soccer games are canceled. And temps are still rising: globally, every month in the last year has broken records for high temperatures.
Extreme heat events cost lives. For example, during two weeks in 2022, excessive heat “directly contributed to almost 200 deaths, 140 adverse birth outcomes, 2,000 hospitalizations and 4,200 emergency department visits” in California, according to this recent Mercury News article. Disadvantaged communities suffered disproportionately from these health harms.
A new report from the state’s Department of Insurance shows that extreme heat events have cost Californians more than $7.7 billion over the last ten years.
Rising Temps Fuel More Wildfires
The warming climate has also brought a huge increase in the number and severity of wildfires in our state. A 2023 study published on drought.gov points to human-caused climate change as the cause of almost all the increase in burned acreage over the last fifty years.
We may not think about wildfires until winds blow the smoke and ash our way, but they are making our climate less and less livable—and the problem is accelerating. It’s a vicious cycle. Excessive heat dries out the forests and grasslands, so more fires start; as a result, there is less vegetation to cool the land and capture moisture. The air gets hotter and drier, and more fires start, burning more acreage, making the air even hotter and drier…
In fact, as CalFIRE recently reported, 2024 fires have already burned through about 220,000 acres—almost five times the average amount of land for this time of year, compared to the last five years. And it’s only July.
The cost in dollars is staggering. A 2023 report looked at the economic impact of California wildfires from 2017 to 2021; it estimates losses of more than $117.4 billion annually.
Stop Warming, Start Cooling
This is an emergency, and we know what to do about it. We have to stop burning the fossil fuels that are causing the climate to heat up. And California has taken steps in that direction: SB 32 mandates cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2030.
But we’re nowhere near on track. The 2023 California Green Innovation Index shows that the state must almost triple its rate of cutting greenhouse gases in order to meet that 2030 target. That means many fewer gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles, gas heating and cooling systems, and other gas appliances like stoves and water heaters. And it means many more solar panels on homes and other buildings.
This Is Doable
Every community can—and must—take important steps to put less pollution into the air. City governments can set an example by shrinking their own carbon footprints—and making it easy for residents to do the same. For instance, they can simplify the permitting process for heat pumps and electrical upgrades.
Is your city doing all it can?
Focus On Action
The climate emergency can seem too big for us to even think about, much less act on. But each of us has the power to act. The worst mistake is to do nothing because we can only do so much.
The time is now to take steps toward a livable climate for our children and grandchildren. It’s more effective—and more fun—to work together with friends and neighbors in your community.
Please email us at info@350contracostaaction.org. We’ll help you connect with other folks in your town and figure out where to get started.
