As the impacts of climate change continue to escalate, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe, ranging from heat waves to floods to unusual storms.
While many individuals can seek refuge indoors during these events, for the unhoused population, escaping these conditions is not as simple.
Those without homes are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, lacking the means to cool off during heat waves, stay warm in freezing temperatures, or shield themselves from elements such as fire, wind, rain, and snow.
Moreover, the rise in climate refugees, driven by homes being destroyed by fires or floods, is expected to significantly increase the number of unhoused individuals.
A UNICEF report revealed that in a five-year period, 43 million children were displaced by climate-related disasters, while a more recent report by the anti-homelessness nonprofit Community Solutions highlights the current crisis of climate change’s impact on homelessness, which continues to worsen.
The Community Solutions report presents grim statistics, such as unhoused individuals in California representing 13% of heat-related hospitalizations despite comprising less than 1% of the state’s population, extreme weather damaging one in 10 U.S. residential properties in 2021, and projections showing that African Americans disproportionately reside in areas facing higher climate-related mortality rates.
The report emphasizes how climate change perpetuates homelessness in a destructive cycle.
Adam Ruege, director of strategy and evaluation at Community Solutions, emphasizes that climate change magnifies extreme weather events, exposing people experiencing homelessness to hazardous conditions.
The effects of climate change, like wildfires and hurricanes, have led even housed individuals to face increased risks of homelessness, particularly among marginalized communities.
Ruege also underscores that vulnerable populations, including people of color, those with lower incomes, and the global majority, are more likely to reside in areas most impacted by climate change, heightening the risks of displacement and homelessness.
Citing the IPCC’s 2022 report, which indicates over 20 million yearly displacements due to extreme weather events, Ruege notes that climate change is projected to push between 32 million and 132 million individuals into extreme poverty within the decade.
For instance, recent data suggests that about 2% of people experiencing homelessness in California, where a significant number of structures were lost to wildfires in 2022, had their housing destroyed by fires or natural disasters.
The intertwining challenges of climate change and homelessness underline the urgent need for comprehensive and equitable solutions to address these converging crises.
