Climate change is causing an increase in natural disasters destroying homes and communities across the world.
Climate change is the long term changes in average weather conditions and temperatures in a region. Climate change can cause hotter temperatures, more severe storms, increased drought, and warming and rising oceans. Climate change is rapidly escalating.
2024 was the hottest year on record and 2023 was the second hottest.
The global surface temperature has risen faster in the last 50 years than it has in any other 50-year period over the last 2,000 years.
Antarctica lost approximately 148 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019.
Greenland lost approximately 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019.
“Every fraction of a degree of warming matters. With every additional increment of global warming, changes in extremes and risks become larger.” - United Nations
Climate change is unleashing devastating conditions across the globe threatening communities and infrastructure. Melting ice is causing sea levels to rise, exposing coastal properties to flooding. Due to warming oceans, tropical storms are more common and severe. This is because warm waters on the ocean surface cause cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons. These storms are highly destructive to homes and communities.
Over the past approximately 40 years, tropical cyclones (or hurricanes) have caused over $1.5 trillion in damage, averaging approximately $23 billion per event.
In September 2024, Hurricane Helene damaged more than 73,000 homes and caused approximately $200 billion in damage.
Climate change is also increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires. Wildfires ignite and spread when numerous factors caused by climate change are present, including high temperatures and drought, which causes dryness in trees, shrubs, grasses and forest debris that fuel fires.
In 2024, there were 64,897 wildfires in the United States, which destroyed 4,552 structures, including 2,406 homes.
In the first month of 2025, the Los Angeles wildfires left a trail of destruction and devastation when wildfires rapidly spread into neighborhoods and urban areas, destroying over 16,000 structures and causing over $250 billion in damage.
“Extreme fire behavior...shocked many wildfire managers...as huge blazes burned for months [and] incinerated entire communities..." - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Sustainability is the pursuit of creating and maintaining conditions for humans and nature to coexist to support present and future generations. Property damage from climate change negatively affects sustainability in multiple ways. The repair and rebuilding process leads to carbon emissions and resource depletion because it requires manufacturing of new materials, transportation, and use of machinery. The building and construction industry is the largest greenhouse gas emitter, accounting for 37% of global emissions.
In addition, property damage from natural disasters can cause significant environmental risks. For example, water inside properties from flooding or hurricanes can lead to toxic mold growth. Structural damage to property can release harmful substances such as, asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, and chlorofluorocarbons. These toxins pollute the air, water and soil, and can be harmful to humans.
Property damage caused by climate change contributes to social inequality because underprivileged people often suffer more from these events because:
Low-income communities and minority groups often live in areas prone to climate hazards, like coastal low-lying areas, along ringer banks or at the bottom of hills that experience mudslides.
Disadvantaged households are often more susceptible to damage because their homes are less climate resilient. For example, they may be constructed of flimsy material or built too close together.
Inequality decreases their ability to recover from the damage because they have less resources, such as insurance and extra money. This may prevent them from rebuilding, leading to further hardship and disadvantage.