Climate Change Significantly Impacts Daily Life for 20% of People

A recent Climate Central analysis indicates that the effects of climate change, driven by human activity, were widespread globally from December 2024 to February 2025.

The report, which studied the impact of climate change on worldwide temperatures over the past three months, revealed that approximately one in five people globally—equivalent to 1.8 billion—experienced daily temperatures significantly influenced by climate change. In half of the countries studied, and in 287 cities worldwide, individuals faced temperatures heavily affected by climate change for at least a third of the three-month period. These findings emerge after the planet above pre-industrial temperatures last year, a crucial limit that countries aimed to stay below according to the Paris Agreement.

“Our research showed that climate change contributed to warmer-than-usual temperatures across nearly the entire planet,” stated Kristina Dahl, VP for Science at Climate Central. Data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information showed that January was the warmest on record. According to data from Europe’s , temperatures in Europe, Canada, South America, Africa, and large portions of Australia and Antarctica were higher than average.

During the same three-month timeframe, roughly 394 million individuals endured 30 or more “risky heat days.” These are defined as days when the local temperature exceeded 90% of daily temperatures recorded between 1991 and 2020.

Dahl explained that risky heat days “are linked to a temperature level that poses greater risks to human health. Mortality rates related to heat begin to climb above this temperature.” In February, a heat wave caused temperatures to spike in areas of Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Tanzania. According to , hospitals in Uganda reported an increase in heat-related illnesses, like dehydration and heat stroke.

The research highlighted that a high incidence of risky heat days is much more prevalent in the Global South: 74% of individuals who experienced 30 or more days of risky heat resided in Africa, while residents of Brazil, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea also encountered 30 or more risky heat days.

Dahl stated, “[It] really underscores a consistent trend with climate change: those who have contributed the least to the problem are often the most exposed and affected.”

In the U.S., about 45% of the cities analyzed experienced average temperatures that were normal or above normal. 14 cities, largely in the west, experienced at least three weeks of days where average temperatures were twice as likely to be influenced by climate change.

Dahl concluded, “These [findings] serve as further reminders that climate change is happening now, not in the future. People around the world are experiencing its effects daily.”

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