Many Americans think they’re insulated from climate change. Their finances indicate otherwise
PUBLISHED TUE, JUL 16 20249:00 AM EDT
Greg Iacurci@GREGIACURCI
WATCH LIVE
KEY POINTS
- Just 55% of Americans believe global warming will “hurt them a moderate amount,” according to a new study by Stanford University and Resources for the Future.
- Climate change is already having a financial impact on most Americans, economists said.
- Higher insurance rates for homeowners, inflation for groceries, and lost earnings due to heat are a few examples of broad economic impacts.
A delivery driver takes a break in the shade during high temperatures in Philadelphia on June 21, 2024.
Joseph Lamberti/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Many Americans think they’re insulated from the effects of global warming. But climate change is
already having negative and broad impacts on household finances, according to experts.
Just to give a few examples: Insurers are
raising premiums for homeowners in many states across the country, pointing to mounting losses from natural disasters as a factor. Extreme weather and flooding
raise prices for everyone at the grocery store. Wildfire smoke and heat waves like the one currently
blanketing large swaths of the U.S. lower job earnings
for many workers.
