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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maanvi Singh in Oakland

‘We can’t escape’: climate crisis is driving up cost of living in the US west

Beth Pratt United States California Insurance Michael Méndez AllState Electricity Rachel Cleetus AFPGetty Images Climate Change
Pedestrian uses an umbrella to shield themself from the sun while walking past power lines in California.
Pedestrian uses an umbrella to shield themself from the sun while walking past power lines in California. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Minerva Contreras can’t keep up with the bills.

Recently, after a series of extreme heatwaves in California forced her family to run the AC, her monthly electricity costs rose to about $500. Her water bill averages around $100, but because the water is contaminated with pesticides from nearby agricultural fields, her family spends an additional $140 each month to purchase jugs of drinking water. Her grocery bills have gone up as well, after a spate of winter storms disrupted harvests across the state.

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