Our Hearts Are With Texas Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the catastrophic…
Learn the causes, evidence, and how to prepare while supporting communities in recovery.
Overview of Climate Change
Climate change disasters are reshaping the way we respond to humanitarian needs. Extreme weather events like hurricanes, floods, droughts, and wildfires are occurring with greater intensity, fueled by rising temperatures and shifts in global weather patterns. We work alongside global partners to deliver medical aid, hygiene kits, and long-term support to communities hit hardest by these disasters.
Support That Makes a Difference
Heart to Heart International is committed to addressing the urgent challenges of climate change disasters. From hurricanes to floods, rising global temperatures have increased the frequency and severity of emergencies. Together, we can reduce harm, strengthen preparedness, and support long-term recovery for communities most at risk.
What Is the Evidence for Climate Change?
Evidence for climate change is clear:
Global surface temperatures have risen significantly.
Melting glaciers and polar ice are causing sea levels to rise.
Shifts in rainfall patterns and flooding have impacted millions of people.
Increased frequency of natural disasters caused by climate change such as wildfires, droughts, and hurricanes.
Scientific organizations like NASA and NOAA confirm these climate change effects through decades of research and satellite data.
What are the Solutions to Climate Change?
Climate change solutions focus on both mitigation, reducing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and adaptation. This prepares communities for the impacts already underway. Key solutions include:
Transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydropower to replace fossil fuels.
Improving energy efficiency in homes, vehicles, and industries to reduce waste and emissions.
Protecting and restoring forests, wetlands, and oceans that naturally absorb carbon dioxide.
Developing sustainable agriculture practices to cut methane emissions and secure food supplies.
Investing in resilient infrastructure, such as flood defenses and heat-resistant buildings, to help communities withstand extreme events.
Advancing innovation like carbon capture and storage to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
What to Do If You’re at Risk of Disasters Caused by Climate Change
Create a household emergency plan tailored for climate change disasters common in your area (hurricanes, floods, wildfires, etc.).
Prepare an emergency kit with food, water, medicines, and first aid.
Stay informed through weather alerts and updates on climate change impact.
Protect important documents in waterproof and fireproof containers.
If evacuation is required, follow official instructions immediately.
Climate Change Facts & Safety Tips
Climate change causes natural disasters to become more frequent and severe.
Warmer oceans fuel stronger hurricanes and storms.
Climate change and flooding increase risks to health, infrastructure, and agriculture.
Droughts, wildfires, and heatwaves are direct effects of climate change.
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels and promoting renewable energy are key climate change solutions.
Climate Change Preparedness
Preparing for climate change disasters means building resilience before crises strike. This includes:
Strengthening community disaster response networks.
Educating families about evacuation plans and safety measures.
Supporting healthcare systems with medical supplies and training.
Reducing environmental risks by addressing causes of climate change, such as greenhouse gases.
Preparedness saves lives and ensures faster hurricane response, flood recovery, and disaster relief in the face of climate change impact.
Fast Facts: Heart to Heart International’s Relief Impact Against Climate Change Disasters
Disaster Responses: Multiple major relief missions tied to climate change disasters, including hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and droughts.
Medical Aid Delivered: Over $31 million in medicines, supplies, and equipment shipped worldwide.
Hygiene Kits Distributed: 325,365 kits to help families maintain health after disasters.
Countries & Regions Served: Including the U.S., Haiti, Pakistan, Türkiye, Nepal, and more.
Volunteer Engagement: Teams of trained responders deployed for climate change disaster relief.
What We Deliver
During climate change disaster response, we can deliver:
Hygiene kits with soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, and other essentials
First aid and medical supplies for individuals and shelters
Sustainable health services for ongoing community support
Volunteer medical teams for urgent disaster relief
Climate Change Responses
Wildfires: Causes, History, Prevention, and Recovery
A wildfire is a devastating force of nature. California, with its dry climate and vast landscapes, faces wildfires almost every year.
Hurricane Milton Response
Florida is once again bracing for the impact of a powerful hurricane. Hurricane Milton, currently a Category 5 storm, is barreling down on the Gulf Coast….
Sudan in Crisis: HHI Responds
Millions in Sudan are facing a devastating humanitarian crisis. Since April 2023, violent conflict has displaced nearly nine million people, leaving families…
Hygiene Kits for Pakistan flooding
Pakistan’s 2022 monsoon season produced catastrophic levels of rainfall causing devastating floods and landslides and impacting…
Hurricane Fiona hits Puerto Rico
Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico over the weekend as a Category 1 hurricane. The heavy rains produced massive flooding
Testimonials
What this organization is doing for people in the US and all over the world is nothing short of amazing. Spending a few hours to volunteer was a great experience and I would definitely encourage everyone to find time to contribute!
Volunteer
I volunteer, along with others, who have a common goal. To help and support the staff as they organize then head out across the globe with hygiene kits, medicines and mobile clinics. When a request comes in for help from HHI, staff is ready and willing to help but it also takes many volunteers and donations to support this goal.
Volunteer
Great organization helping folks in the USA and wherever needed around the world.
Volunteer
I read a lot of news every day because I want to know what is going on around me and in the world. Being aware of the many disasters and injustices cf.an feel like a huge burden to carry. Volunteering at Heart to Heart gives me the sense that I am helping in a small way and I’m not just involved with my own stuff.
Volunteer
As I’m aging, I realized how blessed I’ve been in so many ways. In my younger years, I worked a lot with the homeless community. As I’m aging I wanted to still give back to my community but do it closer to my home. I volunteered at Heart to Heart with a church group and decided I liked their mission. I’m just one person, but uniting with a group like Heart to Heart I can do so much more.
Volunteer
I feel so privileged to be able to help anyone in need. I’ve learned so much from people who are humbled by life’s struggles. As one person told me, “we’re all just one disaster from homelessness.” Every person should volunteer at least once in their life.
Volunteer
I love to provide quality time in service. Service is at the core of my being. My parents taught me when I was a child to never stop serving and loving people.
Volunteer
Volunteering helps me to feel that I am moving forward in a positive way and that my contribution has some purpose especially in these times of great hardship and suffering for so many people.
Volunteer
I love being able to do something for others especially in a real time of need. Serving fills my cup and blesses my heart. It never ceases to amaze me that in the middle of all the tragedy, those we serve always thank us for being there.
Volunteer
Volunteering reminds me that healing doesn’t always come in big moments; it often shows up in simple acts of kindness, shared humanity, and showing up for people when they feel forgotten. That’s why I’m proud to serve.
Volunteer
Medical Testing in Ghana
Medical testing plays a vital role in delivering effective healthcare services. However, remote communities in Ghana face significant challenges due to limited access to laboratory diagnostics. To address this issue, Heart to Heart International has partnered with BD, a global leader in medical technology, and Millennium Promise, a nonprofit organization focused on disease diagnosis and prevention in Ghana. Our partners at Millennium Promise stated, ‘”The completion of the Laboratory Block marks a transformational step in healthcare delivery for the community.”
Kusewera, Malawi
We distributed 8,000 Hygiene kits to 600 youth from the community. The items in the kits are considered a luxury to most of the community, (even basic soap and washcloth) so they were incredibly helpful in the aim to promote health and good hygiene for all of them. They were so happy! The health of these youth will be improved immensely! Every single recipient of the hygiene kits was so very grateful. One said to us “I can now feel good and keep clean, zikomo!”
Light of Reformation in Ukraine
Your loyalty helps us not to give up and gives us the feeling of a reliable shoulder to lean on.
Fundación Una
Your donations of medicines and supplies sustain our clinic, supporting the most vulnerable children. Thank you!
Fundacion Nueva
If the only thing that was useful from your shipment was this wheelchair, it would’ve all been worth it because you changed this man’s life.” – Fundación Nueva Alegria in Dominican Republic
Tebenguni
May I take this opportunity to thank the donors for saving my life. I was afraid I would die after the snake bite. The medical care was amazing.” – Tebenguni, a 15-year-old girl in Eswatini, who received life-saving care thanks to donated medical supplies.
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in weather patterns, primarily driven by human activity such as burning fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases, and deforestation. These activities increase the greenhouse effect, trapping heat in the atmosphere and causing global warming.
Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of natural disasters by disrupting weather patterns and warming the planet. Rising global temperatures intensify the water cycle, which leads to heavier rainfall and more severe flooding. Warmer oceans provide extra fuel for hurricanes and tropical storms, making them stronger and longer-lasting. Higher average temperatures also increase the risk of heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires, while melting glaciers and rising sea levels make coastal flooding more common. In short, climate change acts as a threat multiplier, making extreme events more destructive and more frequent.
Climate change cannot be eliminated entirely, but it can be slowed and managed with immediate action. Scientists emphasize that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the most critical step. This includes switching to renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro, improving energy efficiency, and phasing out fossil fuels. Other strategies include:
- Carbon capture and storage (CCS): Technology to capture CO₂ from power plants and the air.
- Reforestation and conservation: Forests absorb CO₂, making land restoration essential.
- Adaptation: Strengthening infrastructure, health systems, and food security to withstand climate impacts.
The Paris Agreement, adopted by nearly every country, outlines global goals to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, which scientists agree is key to avoiding the most dangerous impacts.
The five major effects of climate change are:
- Rising Temperatures: More frequent heatwaves, changing ecosystems, and higher health risks.
- Extreme Weather: Stronger hurricanes, severe droughts, floods, and wildfires.
- Melting Ice and Rising Seas: Glacial retreat, loss of Arctic sea ice, and higher coastal flooding.
- Threats to Food and Water: Crop failures, lower nutrition, water shortages, and fisheries decline.
- Health Impacts: Increases in respiratory illness, infectious diseases, malnutrition, and heat-related deaths.
Climate change is not a future issue. It is happening right now. Current impacts include:
- More frequent and intense wildfires in the U.S. and Australia.
- Severe droughts in Africa and the western U.S. affecting crops and water supplies.
- Record-breaking hurricanes and floods fueled by warmer oceans.
- Glacier melt in Greenland and Antarctica, contributing to rising sea levels.
- Health threats, such as increased heat stress, worsening allergies, and expanded ranges of diseases like malaria and dengue. Every decade since 1980 has been warmer than the last, with 2023 recorded as one of the hottest years globally.
Climate change is considered one of the most serious global threats to human society, ecosystems, and economies. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), without urgent action, the world faces:
- Increased loss of life from disasters.
- Massive economic damage from destroyed infrastructure, agriculture losses, and displaced populations.
- Biodiversity collapse, with one in six species at risk of extinction.
- Global instability due to resource shortages, migration, and conflict over water and food.
- Experts warn that if global warming passes 2°C, the impacts may become irreversible.
The major issues caused by climate change include:
- Rising sea levels threatening coastal communities.
- Ocean acidification damaging coral reefs and fisheries.
- Loss of biodiversity as habitats shrink and species disappear.
- Health crises due to heatwaves, poor air quality, and spread of disease.
- Economic inequality, since poorer nations are more vulnerable to climate disasters. These challenges are interconnected, making climate change a complex crisis that touches nearly every aspect of life.
There is a vast body of climate change research produced by governments, universities, and international organizations. Some of the most important include:
- IPCC Reports: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases global scientific assessments every 5–7 years, with detailed updates on climate science, adaptation, and solutions.
- NASA Climate Research: Provides satellite data and analysis of global temperature, ice melt, and greenhouse gases.
- NOAA Climate Reports: Tracks U.S. and global weather, sea levels, and disaster patterns.
- Harvard & MIT Climate Studies: Cutting-edge research into energy solutions, climate economics, and carbon reduction.
- The Lancet Climate Countdown: Annual report on the health effects of climate change worldwide. These resources provide reliable, peer-reviewed evidence that guides policy and global action.