Publication: Axios

UCLA Expert: Alan Barreca: Associate Professor,  Institute of the Environment & Sustainability; Pritzker Chair in Environment & Sustainability, UCLA

Synopsis: Warmer temperatures are leading more California low-income households to have their electricity disconnected, according to a study published in the journal Nature Energy.

UCLA News: “This is adding to the tax of being poor,” co-author Barreca said. "This is suggesting that with hotter summers into the future, falls are going to become financially more precarious, as people are hit with their high energy bills from the summer months and they're overdue, and that those months are going to be a lot harder on families," Barreca said. And each additional day above a 100 degrees Fahrenheit threshold causes expenses to go up by $2.92 — which adds up. "I think a lot of people who haven't been poor would say, 'Oh, that doesn't seem like much,'" Barreca noted — but in reality the added utility cost can be "significant."

Read more at Axios.