"University of California, Berkeley, study found that those who experience severe effects will see up to a $1m [increase] in costs"

"The climate emergency is significantly increasing costs for California households in the form of rising utility bills, lost wages and growing healthcare expenses, worsening the state’s affordability crisis, according to a sweeping new report.

The average American born in 2024 will likely face up to $500,000 in additional lifetime costs from climate crisis, and those who experience more severe effects will see up to $1m in costs, the Costs of Climate Change: Financial and Economic Impacts on California report states.

The analysis from the Center for Law, Energy & Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, commissioned by the environment and economy non-profit Next 10, examines more than 100 primary sources together for the first time to provide a deeper look at what researchers describe as the “hidden costs” of the climate crisis in California."

Dani Anguiano reports for the Guardian September 25, 2025. [2]