Extreme weather events are the most dramatic consequence of climate change, but there are many smaller ways it disturbs our daily life
By James Dinneen
9 May 2025
Climate change is already making our lives worse
AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images
When you think of threats from climate change, you probably envision flooding and wind from supercharged hurricanes, or unprecedented heatwaves. A survey of people in the US from late 2024 found that the majority of people see extreme weather as the greatest climate-related danger. But there are a slew of more persistent ways climate change is disrupting our day-to-day experiences.
“These are the kinds of events that affect people’s lives but don’t necessarily make the news,” says Jennifer Carman at Yale University.
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While these more mundane impacts of climate change – such as worse allergies or longer commute times – might seem to pale in comparison to climate disasters, they can add up to represent a big shift, says Carman. Knowing about them can also help people prepare for how climate change will affect their lives. After all, about half of Americans now report they have personally experienced climate change, twice as many as a decade ago.
“Extreme events won’t affect everyone,” says Carman. “But people are experiencing everyday effects every day.”
Climate change is driving up the cost of food – and everything else
Hotter temperatures due to climate change contribute to price inflation. Friderike Kuik at the European Central Bank and her colleagues analysed links between changing temperatures and thousands of price indices from around the world. Across the board, they found that higher average temperatures – not just extreme events – lead to inflation. This was especially true in regions closer to the equator, where the effect persists year round.