Hotter winters, worse sleep, and consumers feel the heat

The Climate, Health & Equity Brief is GMMB’s take on the latest news on the current impacts of climate change. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Hot Topic: Accelerating impacts. A flurry of new research confirms what many already feel—the changing climate is noticeably impacting all aspects of life.

Across the U.S., winter low temperatures are increasing rapidly in some regions. A new analysis shows that winter warming has increased the most in cities as diverse as Reno, Nevada (+9.7°F), Anchorage, Alaska (+9°F) and Traverse City, Michigan (+9°F). What’s more, preliminary research from the American Thoracic Society suggests that hotter nights are contributing to a rise in obstructive sleep apnea—a condition tied to stroke and heart disease—causing an estimated 785,000 lost healthy life years and $32 billion in productivity losses in 2023 alone.

A groundbreaking new study found that wildfire smoke directly linked to climate change contributed to nearly 15,000 deaths and $160 billion in damages in the U.S. between 2006 and 2020. Meanwhile, a separate analysis finds that hot, dry, windy “fire weather” now stretches longer into the year, with parts of California, New Mexico and Texas experiencing up to two additional months of high-risk days annually compared to the 1970s.

Such climate-fueled instabilities are reshaping the U.S. housing market. An analysis by First Street Foundation finds that climate change is projected to drive a 380% surge in U.S. foreclosures and up to $5.4 billion in annual lender losses by 2035 as extreme weather, rising insurance costs and outdated flood maps leave millions of underinsured homeowners financially exposed. The analysis also suggests that a home’s climate risk could soon be considered a core aspect of borrower creditworthiness and subject buyers to higher interest rates, pricing more people out of homeownership.

Despite the economic and health indicators, the Trump administration has acted in recent days to halt air quality monitoring, weaken water protections, further hobble the EPA and NOAA, end the LIHEAP program that helps low-income families pay utility bills during peak seasons, eliminate the EnergyStar appliance efficiency program, and take aggressive action to shield big oil from state lawsuits.

Our eyes are now on Mr. Trump’s proposed budget, which is headed to the Senate after passing the House by one vote. The bill would restart federal coal leasing, make it easier to drill for oil and gas, and end fees for methane polluters. In a blow to American consumers, it also ends tax credits for EVs and energy-efficient homes and home improvements by the end of this year. If passed, these changes would roll back hard-won climate policies and strip Americans of practical, cost-saving tools to protect their health, homes, and future in an increasingly volatile climate.

Human Health

A new Nature study is one of the first to directly isolate the role of climate change in wildfire smoke-related deaths, finding that climate-fueled fires contributed to nearly 15,000 deaths and $160 billion in damages across the U.S. from 2006 to 2020. (The Guardian)

A new study from the American Thoracic Society suggests that rising temperatures are increasing the severity and incidence of sleep apnea, which can lead to a greater risk of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and death. (TIME)

New research warns that Babesiosis, a rare, tick-borne, malaria-like disease, is spreading across Delaware, Maryland and Virginia—states previously considered low risk—due to tick migration strongly linked to climate change. (Grist)

Hot, dry, and windy conditions that fuel wildfires are becoming significantly more common across the U.S., with parts of the Southwest and West now facing up to two extra months of “fire weather”  each year compared to the 1970s, according to a new Climate Central analysis. (Axios)

Planetary Health

A new analysis from Climate Central has found that the thirty-year average low temperatures are rising markedly nationwide, warming the most in cities as diverse as Reno, Nevada (+9.7°F); Anchorage, Alaska (+9°F) and Traverse City, Michigan (+9°F). (Axios)

According to a sweeping new study, climate change now threatens the survival of more than 3,500 animal species across six major groups—from centipedes to coral-like invertebrates—marking what researchers call the start of an existential crisis for Earth’s wildlife. (The Hill)

Even if global heating is limited to the long-targeted 1.5°C, new research shows that polar ice sheets will likely keep melting rapidly, driving unstoppable sea-level rise that could displace hundreds of millions and submerge entire coastal nations in the coming centuries. (The Washington Post)

A new study suggests feeding seaweed to grazing cattle can reduce methane emissions in cows by nearly 40 percent, significantly reducing the portion of the world’s methane gas produced by livestock. (Inside Climate News)

Equity

A first-of-its-kind study finds that the wealthiest 10% of the global population are responsible for two-thirds of global warming over the past 30 years, prompting researchers to call for progressive taxes on wealth and carbon-intensive assets. (Al Jazeera)

The Trump administration’s plan to eliminate the LIHEAP program that helps low-income households pay energy bills could leave millions at risk during worsening heat waves. (POLITICO)

Politics & Economy

Administration Watch:

• NOAA will stop updating the database that has tracked the costs of climate change-fueled natural disasters since 1980 and will cease updating data sets focusing on climate change in the Arctic. (AP News, The Washington Post, Inside Climate News)
• Due to funding cuts, several NOAA offices are so understaffed that they no longer operate 24 hours a day, including coastal offices that could face threats during the upcoming hurricane season. (The Washington Post)
• The EPA is shifting 130 scientists to a new office of scientific review focused on approving new chemicals and pesticides. (The New York Times, AP News)
• The Trump administration ordered federal agencies to stop using the “social cost of carbon” metric to consider the economic damage caused by climate change. (The New York Times)
• The EPA is eliminating the Energy Star program, a certification given to home appliances that meet energy efficiency standards. (The New York Times)
• The Trump administration halted air-quality monitoring at all 63 national parks, cutting off pollution data collection and early warning signals critical for protecting the public from health risks like asthma and heart attacks. (The Washington Post)
• The Trump administration will retain drinking water limits for PFOA and PFOS but delay enforcement until 2031, while dropping limits on four other PFAS chemicals, drawing criticism from health and environmental groups. (The New York Times)
• The Trump administration is slashing environmental review times for fossil fuel and mining projects to just 28 days—a move experts say undermines the National Environmental Policy Act and risks public health. (POLITICO)
• The Trump administration is moving aggressively to shield big oil from climate lawsuits, preemptively suing states like Hawaii and Michigan to block cases before they’re filed, arguing they pose a threat to the economy and national security. (The New York Times)
• Former acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton, initially appointed by President Trump,  was fired after he broke with the administration and testified to Congress that he does not support dismantling FEMA. (CNN)

A report from the IEA warns that countries are failing to deliver on methane reduction pledges, with emissions from energy, agriculture, and abandoned coal mines and oil and gas wells still surging, undermining efforts to curb a gas driving nearly a third of global heating. (Axios)

According to a new analysis by First Street Foundation, climate change is projected to drive a 380% surge in U.S. foreclosures and up to $5.4 billion in annual lender losses by 2035, as extreme weather, rising insurance costs, and outdated flood maps leave millions of underinsured homeowners financially exposed. (CBS News)

Pope Leo XIV is poised to carry Pope Francis’s environmental legacy forward, echoing his predecessor’s calls for climate action, clean energy, and a more reciprocal, less exploitative relationship between humanity and nature. (Bloomberg, Fast Company)

Despite the Trump administration’s promises to “drill, baby, drill” in the coming years, the S&P forecasts a slight decline in crude oil production after 2025 due to a lack of economic demand – the first year-over-year decline in about a decade, excluding the 2020 COVID crisis. (Axios)

According to a new IEA report, electric vehicles are projected to make up a quarter of global car sales this year and could displace 5 million barrels of oil per day by 2030 under current global policies, though U.S. growth has slowed sharply due to Trump-era rollbacks of EV incentives and rules. (Axios)

Republicans and Democrats blocked a major California climate policy that would have required all new vehicles sold in the state to be electric or nonpolluting by 2035, giving the Republican majority a win in undercutting the nation’s EV transition. (The New York Times)

A new study in Nature Human Behaviour finds that framing climate data in clear, binary terms tied to everyday experiences, like a beloved ice-skating lake no longer icing over in winter, dramatically boosts public engagement with climate change. (Grist)

Action

Scientists working on the U.S. National Climate Assessment announced that they will publish their work independently after being dismissed from their roles by the Trump administration. (The New York Times)

The USDA will reinstate climate resources previously scrubbed from its websites after farmers sued over the deletions, arguing that it denied them access to the information needed to make time-sensitive business decisions linked to climate change. (The New York Times)

Despite legal attacks from the fossil fuel industry and the Trump administration, a growing number of states are advancing laws to make Big Oil pay for the soaring costs of climate disasters, with 11 states introducing bills this year following landmark laws in Vermont and New York. (Grist)

Life as We Know It

Climate disasters are pushing up foreclosure rates and insurance costs, leading experts to warn that a home’s exposure to climate risks could soon be factored into mortgage approvals, insurance premiums, and the ability for borrowers to qualify for affordable financing. (CNN)

A Yale analysis finds that eight of the 10 most popular podcasts—including shows by Joe Rogan and Russell Brand—are spreading climate misinformation, often downplaying the crisis or casting doubt on solutions. (Sentient)

Mounting evidence shows that climate change is quietly disrupting daily life in America by driving up food prices, disrupting sleep, worsening allergies, polluting air, and increasing cooling costs. (New Scientist)

New research has found that rising temperatures, extreme weather, and climate-related pests are threatening the growth of bananas, the world’s most popular fruit. (The Guardian)

Clear-air turbulence has increased 55% since the 1970s and could rise 29% by 2100 as global warming intensifies vertical wind shear in jet streams. (Inside Climate News)

Kicker

Are you an employer? Check out the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health’s Climate Health Cost Forecaster, which equips employers with data to help plan for long-term health care costs related to climate change.

“Extreme events won’t affect everyone, but people are experiencing everyday effects every day.”

– Jennifer Carman, Yale University

The GMMB Climate, Health & Equity Brief would not be possible without the contributions of the larger GMMB team—Catherine Ahmad, Aaron Benavides, Stefana Hendronetto, Nikki Melamed, Sharde Olabanji, Kenzie Perrow and Marci Welford. Feedback on the Brief is welcome and encouraged and should be sent to [email protected].