Climate Change’s Impact on Everyday Life

Talking about climate change often brings to mind some pretty intense imagery. We think of severe droughts that can starve communities, floods that seem like they might take out whole towns, or wildfires that tear through large areas.

Additionally, we cannot ignore scenes of glaciers eroding and sea ice melting—phenomena that could efficiently serve as the backdrop for an apocalyptic movie.

The world has witnessed several major climate-related events in recent years.

For example, the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles burned approximately 60 square miles and destroyed 12,000 structures. In June 2022, Pakistan experienced devastating floods that affected 33 million people, damaged over a million homes, and resulted in at least 1,100 deaths.

In April 2024, extreme heat waves swept South and Southeast Asia, severely impacting public health. Thailand reported at least 61 heatstroke-related deaths, and thousands of schools in the Philippines were forced to close. Meanwhile, severe drought conditions are affecting vast regions of northern, southern, and central-western Africa and northern Madagascar, disrupting economies and threatening food and water security.

Melting glaciers and ice sheets have significantly contributed to sea level rise in recent decades. A study published in Nature in February 2025 found that mountain glaciers have lost more than 5% of their mass, about 6,500 billion tonnes, since the start of the century.

Alarmingly, glacier melt has accelerated over the past decade, increasing by 33% compared to the 2000–2011 period. Based on more than 230 regional estimates, these findings offer scientists a clearer understanding of how quickly glaciers are disappearing.

These examples represent just a few catastrophic events linked to climate change in recent years.

While many people associate climate change events with the greatest risks and worst impacts, there are also numerous ways it affects our daily lives that often go unnoticed. Though these impacts may seem small or insignificant, such as worsening allergies or longer travel times, they are incremental and can lead to significant changes.

How climate change affects our daily lives

The BBC highlights several ways in which climate change impacts our daily lives. One significant effect is the increase in food prices. Higher temperatures are associated with rising food costs because agriculture is highly vulnerable to changing weather conditions. As temperatures rise, the prices of goods can increase by 0.5% to 1.2%.

Second, hot temperatures increase air conditioning costs. In already hot places, the air conditioner could run longer, while in cold places where people don’t have air conditioning, rising global temperatures will make them install one in their homes.

Third, people will sleep less because of hotter temperatures. A study in China shows that a 10°C rise in temperature any night results in a 20% chance that someone will not get enough sleep.

Fourth, higher temperatures increase the adverse effects of air pollution due to the heat changing the mix of pollutants or people spending more time outside. A spike in air conditioning during hot days also drives energy generation at high-emitting fossil-fuelled power plants, which can add to air pollution.

Lastly, high temperatures increase the risk of wildfires releasing toxic smoke that can cause deaths. A study found that exposure to wildfire smoke can lead to 700,000 additional deaths in the US by 2050.

Elevated atmospheric carbon concentration prolongs the warm season and increases pollen production, worsening allergies. A 2021 study in the US shows a 21% increase in pollen concentrations from 1990 to 2018, and climate change is the culprit.

In a three-year US survey of 3,079 respondents, conducted between 2020 and 2021, 38% said that the allergy season in their area has worsened, 28% said much worse, and 10% said severely worsened in the past few years.

Commuting is also getting longer due to weather-related delays in transport systems. For instance, coastal floods annually cause 23 minutes of travel delays in the eastern US. In the coming decades, with further sea level rise, lost travel time due to weather extremes could increase to hours per person per year.

While the most visible effects, such as wildfires, floods, and glacier melt, dominate headlines, the more subtle, cumulative impacts on our health, economy, and lifestyle are just as critical.

Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract threat but is becoming a daily reality that affects everything from the cost of food to how well we sleep at night.

Recognising the range and scale of climate change’s impact, including both the catastrophic and everyday effects, is essential for effective climate adaptation solutions.