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Extreme Weather

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WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON

Extreme weather events are unusual or damaging ones, including storms, fires, rainfall, and drought. Although extreme weather has been part of the meteorological system for millions of years, human-caused climate change is triggering increasingly extreme and frequent events in ways never before seen in human history.

Greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels are making much of our planet hotter and wetter, and we are now experiencing more severe heat waves, fiercer wildfires, wilder hurricanes, heavier floods, and drier droughts. This is why Moms Clean Air Force works tirelessly on cutting climate pollution, demanding our agencies and elected officials continue to invest in clean energy, clean cars, and clean air and act on climate today.

RELATED RESOURCES

Wildfires and Your Health

Fact Sheet

Wildfires and Your Health

Extreme Weather and the Changing Climate

Fact Sheet

Extreme Weather and the Changing Climate

Health Impacts of Extreme Heat

Fact Sheet

Health Impacts of Extreme Heat

Health Impacts of Hurricanes

Fact Sheet

Health Impacts of Hurricanes

Take Action

WHY WE CARE

Extreme weather is climate change in action. Warmer air can hold more moisture than colder air, resulting in stronger storms that can release record rain and snowfall. Drought can be intensified, as higher temperatures boost evaporation and precipitation patterns change. Higher temperatures are also making wildfire season longer and more intense as well as causing seawater to expand and glacial ice to melt. This leads to rising sea levels, which can trigger storm surges, erosion, and flooding.

Today, scary terms like “bomb cyclone,” “atmospheric river,” and “firenado,” formerly the jargon of meteorologists and weather geeks, have become mainstream as they happen more often.

HEALTH IMPACTS

Extreme weather can profoundly damage communities and impact human health in a wide variety of ways. Extreme heat has been linked to increased hospital admissions for respiratory and heart problems. Heat waves exacerbate air pollution, which in turn can result in asthma attacks, increased vulnerability to infections, and even lung cancer, heart attacks, and stroke, further straining health care systems. Wildfire smoke contains soot pollution, also known as PM2.5 or particle pollution, which is a leading cause of premature death worldwide. Air pollution is especially dangerous for babies, children, and the elderly.


Extreme weather is climate change in action.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Communities of color and low-income communities are often affected first and worst by climate disasters and bear a disproportionate burden of extreme weather. When it comes to extreme heat, places across the United States with large Black populations experience higher temperatures on average. They are more likely to live in areas with high levels of air pollution, limited access to green spaces, and inadequate infrastructure for cooling. This is especially true in urban settings crowded with buildings, full of heat-absorbing concrete, and without cooling vegetation like trees.

Outdoor workers in the US are up to 35 times more likely to die from heat exposure than the general population. Hispanic or Latino individuals are disproportionately represented in the outdoor workforce.

BACK STORY

Temperatures have been increasing steadily since the 1980s. Extreme weather caused by climate change is now here touching every facet of our lives. More and more of us are experiencing impacts of extreme weather in our own communities: in 2021, more than 4 in 10 people in the US lived in counties hit by climate disasters. Not only does extreme weather cost billions to society, it can also can spread disease and displace families. Mold and contamination are of concern in flooded homes and schools. Drought can impact drinking water, agriculture, and air quality too. Extreme weather disasters can also trigger mental health problems.

Moms has been advocating for reducing climate pollution for over a decade. In 2022, we celebrated the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act—and its unprecedented $369 billion investment in cutting climate pollution—after 18 months of tireless work advocating for several important climate provisions in this bill. Now, we are working with state and local governments and nongovernmental organizations to ensure this funding goes to the communities that need it the most.

More Articles and Resources

  • Articles
  • Resources
  • Take Action
Hurricanes: More Frequent, More Intense, and More Dangerous to Health

Article

Hurricanes: More Frequent, More Intense, and More Dangerous to Health

Climate Change: We Have Reached a Turning Point

Article

Climate Change: We Have Reached a Turning Point

Hawaii Wildfires: Apocalyptic, Unprecedented, and Deadly

Article

Hawaii Wildfires: Apocalyptic, Unprecedented, and Deadly

PEOPLE Magazine Features Moms’ Hazel Chandler, a Heartbreaking Health Journey

Article

PEOPLE Magazine Features Moms’ Hazel Chandler, a Heartbreaking Health Journey

What a Month in Extreme Heat Feels Like

Article

What a Month in Extreme Heat Feels Like

This Latino Conservation Week, We're Fighting for Strong Carbon Pollution Standards

Article

This Latino Conservation Week, We're Fighting for Strong Carbon Pollution Standards

Air Conditioning Plays a Role in Climate Change -- Here's How to Use Less

Article

Air Conditioning Plays a Role in Climate Change -- Here's How to Use Less

Broken Records, Broken Hearts, and Taking Action

Article

Broken Records, Broken Hearts, and Taking Action

East Coast Summer 2023: Extreme Rain and Floods on Heels of Wildfire Smoke

Article

East Coast Summer 2023: Extreme Rain and Floods on Heels of Wildfire Smoke

10 Ways to Talk to Kids About Wildfires

Article

10 Ways to Talk to Kids About Wildfires

Extreme Heat Poses Unequal Challenge for Black and Brown Communities

Article

Extreme Heat Poses Unequal Challenge for Black and Brown Communities

Groundbreaking EPA Report on Climate Change and Children’s Health

Article

Groundbreaking EPA Report on Climate Change and Children’s Health

Read more articles about Extreme Weather »

Flooding 101

Fact Sheet

Flooding 101

Health Impacts of Hurricanes

Fact Sheet

Health Impacts of Hurricanes

Wildfires and Your Health

Fact Sheet

Wildfires and Your Health

Extreme Heat and Black Communities

Fact Sheet

Extreme Heat and Black Communities

Extreme Weather and the Changing Climate

Fact Sheet

Extreme Weather and the Changing Climate

Climate Change and Allergies

Fact Sheet

Climate Change and Allergies

Hurricane Preparedness 101

Fact Sheet

Hurricane Preparedness 101

Health Impacts of Extreme Heat

Fact Sheet

Health Impacts of Extreme Heat

Extreme Heat and Latino Communities

Fact Sheet

Extreme Heat and Latino Communities

Preparacion básica para los huracanes

Fact Sheet

Preparacion básica para los huracanes

El calor extremo y <br>las comunidades latinas

Fact Sheet

El calor extremo y
las comunidades latinas

Los impactos del calor extremo sobre la salud

Fact Sheet

Los impactos del calor extremo sobre la salud

See more resources about Extreme Weather »

Tell Congress: Support Mental Wellness Resources for Communities Hit by Climate Disaster

Petition

Tell Congress: Support Mental Wellness Resources for Communities Hit by Climate Disaster

Tell Your Governor: Take the Lead on Climate Action

Petition

Tell Your Governor: Take the Lead on Climate Action

Flooding 101

Fact Sheet

Flooding 101

Health Impacts of Hurricanes

Fact Sheet

Health Impacts of Hurricanes

Wildfires and Your Health

Fact Sheet

Wildfires and Your Health

Extreme Heat and Black Communities

Fact Sheet

Extreme Heat and Black Communities

Extreme Weather and the Changing Climate

Fact Sheet

Extreme Weather and the Changing Climate

Climate Change and Allergies

Fact Sheet

Climate Change and Allergies

Hurricane Preparedness 101

Fact Sheet

Hurricane Preparedness 101

Health Impacts of Extreme Heat

Fact Sheet

Health Impacts of Extreme Heat

Extreme Heat and Latino Communities

Fact Sheet

Extreme Heat and Latino Communities

Preparacion básica para los huracanes

Fact Sheet

Preparacion básica para los huracanes

El calor extremo y <br>las comunidades latinas

Fact Sheet

El calor extremo y
las comunidades latinas

Los impactos del calor extremo sobre la salud

Fact Sheet

Los impactos del calor extremo sobre la salud

See more Extreme Weather resources »

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We are a community of 1.5 million moms and dads united against air pollution – including the urgent crisis of our changing climate – to protect our children’s health.

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