Dirtier air. Longer droughts. More destructive wildfires.

Not to mention the excruciating heat waves.

These are just some of the impacts of the climate crisis in Arizona — which is one reason why a majority of Arizonans believe in climate change and want their elected officials at all levels to do more to address the issue.

Yet, Donald Trump and his allies like Martha McSally continue to deny the reality of the climate crisis. They are putting Arizonans’ health, safety, and the economy at risk.

QUICK FACT

Download here.

THE CRISIS

The cost of Donald Trump’s inaction on climate change, aided and abetted by allies like Martha McSally, are as deep as the Grand Canyon:

In the last decade alone, Arizona has experienced 11 climate-related disasters responsible for almost $90 billion in damages.

Wildfires have caused at least 139 deaths.

We’ve seen five drought events that took the lives of 176 people. 

And the devastating reality is that people of color across Arizona — Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities — bear the brunt of these disasters.

Without bold climate action, these problems are only going to get worse. Storms will intensify, climate disasters will become deadlier, and working Arizona families will see their economic opportunity go up in smoke.

The time for action is now.

THE COSTS

We cannot trust Donald Trump and his allies like Martha McSally. They have put their heads in the sand, deny science, and sold us out to Big Oil—all while Arizonans suffer the effects of the climate crisis.

The costs of this inaction grow every single day:

• Arizona is burning. In the last decade, our state has seen devastating wildfire seasons that have caused billions in damages and at least 139 deaths — even as science suggests wildfires are showing an increase in severity, frequency, and extent due to rising temperatures.

• It’s already hot—and it could get hotter. One analysis suggests that the number of extreme heat days in Arizona could jump to 80 per year by 2050, up from 50 today. That’s one whole month’s worth of almost unbearable temperatures, all in a state where hundreds of thousands of residents are especially vulnerable to extreme heat.

• The droughts are getting worse. Arizona is at risk for persistent drought conditions, and severe drought events have been linked to increasing greenhouse gas emissions — yet Trump and his allies have gutted FEMA and fought with state governments, leaving Arizonans to wonder how ready they are to provide aid after natural disasters. 

• The air is getting dirtier. Trump has rolled back clean car standards while, in 2019, five Arizona counties received an “F” grade for the number of days of unhealthy ozone levels — and two counties also received Fs for particle pollution. That kind of pollution has been directly linked to asthma and other lung diseases.

• We’re losing out on jobs. The clean energy economy presents a huge opportunity for Arizona. But according to one analysis, Trump’s anti-science, pro-Big Oil policies have cost Arizonans 8,000 good-paying clean energy jobs.

FROM OUR RESEARCH TEAM

• Climate Disasters in Arizona
• What Do Trump’s Attacks On Science Mean For Arizona?
• Siding With Special Interests: Martha McSally
• State of Play: Arizona