Erick Burgueño Salas
Research expert covering climate change and the water industry
Climate change in the U.S. - statistics & facts
The United States is already facing the impacts of climate change. Raging wildfires, heat records being broken, and stronger and more frequent storms are among the compelling evidence. In just five years, from 2019 to 2023, the United States faced 102 billion-dollar weather-related disasters, almost the same amount of events record across the previous decade. Amidst the dire scenario, the U.S. is lagging on its climate pledges, despite considerable improvements in the energy transition.
The administration of President Joe Biden has also reached several climate action milestones. In 2021, the U.S. rejoined the Paris Agreement, setting a new national goal of reaching net zero emissions by latest 2050. In August of the following year, the U.S. Congress enacted the Inflation Reduction Act, calling it the most ambitious investment in combating the climate crisis in the country’s history. This law establishes a set of clean energy incentives, mostly through tax credits, for everything from electric vehicles to carbon sequestration.
Even if changes are already happening, more action is needed. Assuming no new policies are put in place, annual GHG emissions in the U.S. are forecast to decline around 33 percent by 2035 compared with 2000 values, putting the North American nation way off track its Paris Agreement pledges.
The effects of a changing climate
The annual average temperature in the U.S. has experienced an upward trend in the past decades, recording its highest value in 2012, when it hit 55.28°F for the first time since records started. The overall increase in temperature is already causing distress in U.S. climate patterns. In 2023, economic losses due to weather disasters reached 114 billion U.S. dollars, the fourth consecutive year in which losses surpassed the 100-billion-dollar mark. Of the different types of weather catastrophes, storms are the most destructive, accounting for more than 70 percent of the total economic damage. They are also one of the deadliest. In 2023 alone, there were more than 155 fatalities reported due to tropical cyclones, winter storms, and severe thunderstorms in the U.S. Along with weather disasters, other consequences of climate change will bring. For instance, due to a combination of melting water from glaciers and ice sheets and thermal expansion of seawater, sea level rise will also be a pressing matter for U.S. coastal zones.How is the U.S. tackling climate change?
As the second-largest GHG emitter in the world, the U.S. bears a big responsibility in fighting climate change, and many actions have already been put into place. Net renewable electricity generation in the U.S., neared 900 terawatt hours in 2023, more than doubling from 2005 levels. Another example is the transition from fossil fuel vehicles to electric solutions. Recent years have seen a boom in this field, with sales of plug-in electric light vehicles growing 50 percent year-over-year in.The administration of President Joe Biden has also reached several climate action milestones. In 2021, the U.S. rejoined the Paris Agreement, setting a new national goal of reaching net zero emissions by latest 2050. In August of the following year, the U.S. Congress enacted the Inflation Reduction Act, calling it the most ambitious investment in combating the climate crisis in the country’s history. This law establishes a set of clean energy incentives, mostly through tax credits, for everything from electric vehicles to carbon sequestration.
Even if changes are already happening, more action is needed. Assuming no new policies are put in place, annual GHG emissions in the U.S. are forecast to decline around 33 percent by 2035 compared with 2000 values, putting the North American nation way off track its Paris Agreement pledges.
