How vast swathes of the US could soon be uninhabitable

It’s not just Florida and California, the entire country is now being threatened by climate change, according to experts

- HOLLY BAXTER, ALICJA HAGOPIAN

The United States is no stranger to extreme weather, but the accelerating effects of climate change are pushing some regions closer to the brink of uninhabitability. From oppressive heat in the southwest to rising sea levels and storm surges along the coasts, the challenges are diverse, daunting and interconnected.

Masada Siegel, a consultant for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other organisations, knows this reality well. A Phoenix native and mother of a nine-year-old son, Siegel has seen her hometown transform into a hostile environment. Last summer, Phoenix experienced 113 consecutive days over 100F, the longest streak ever recorded. The average temperature was 97F.

“In the summer at 116 degrees, you’re not laying out by the pool,” Siegel says. “You’re either in the pool, indoors, or in the shade. And then, at a certain point, the pool is so hot it feels like you’re in soup.”

Phoenix saw just 4.54 inches of rain last year – 2.52 inches below normal – and the lack of precipitation, as well as the increased heat, has thrown seasonal rhythms out of sync: “I have a lemon tree that’s flowering in January. My lime tree is flowering in January. They’re not supposed to flower until springtime.”

The changes aren’t just inconvenient; they’re impacting quality of life and mental health. “In Arizona, people get depressed in the summer, just like people in New York get Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter,” Siegel adds. Many Arizonans now spend most of the summer indoors, and chronic Vitamin D deficiencies are becoming more common – especially in the south of the state – as a result.