One way thats showing up is on yourmonthly energy bills.
In other words, the cost of energy, and how much youre using, is increasing.
Heres a closer look at why climate change is ratcheting up your utility costs.
Most Americans think climate change will cost them
A lot of people already know this intuitively.
Only 13% disagreed, with the rest being unsure.
The finding was consistent across geography and generations.
And theyre not wrong.
But its not just that summer temperatures in July or August are a bit higher.
Its also that the air conditioning season, so to speak, is getting longer.
Theyre using AC for more days of the year and more hours per day.
But this isnt the only factor at play.
While this has obvious environmental benefits, it can translate to higher energy rates.
Utilities are really good about passing every single [cost] to consumers, Michaud said.
He said its difficult to generalize, and the landscape looks different in each state.
Its not a very clear picture, he said.
Take, for example, the increasing frequency of extreme storms.
Those outages can have a severe negative impact on local businesses and the economy, Meyer said.
You might also see climate change costs showing up on yourhome insurancebill.
