Last year was filled with extreme weather fueled by climate change. California was overrun by mudslides, and there were dangerous heat waves, droughts and hurricanes. More than four in ten Americans live in a county that was affected by climate disasters in 2021, and more than 80 percent experienced at least one day of unusually high temperatures, reported The Washington Post. At least 656 people died due to the disasters, according to news reports and government records. The financial cost of all these disasters was more than $104 billion, not including the wildfires, extreme heat and drought in the West.

There were fewer climate disasters reported in individual counties last year as compared to previous years, but eight statewide emergencies related to climate disasters — including hurricanes, landslides, fires, floods and severe storms — were declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the most since 1998.

In the wake […]