FOUR PAWS believes that animal welfare, human health, and the well-being of the environment are heavily interconnected, making the ongoing climate crisis all the more alarming.

We see the impact that climate change has on the animals we rescue around the world, whether they live in captivity or in the wild. We also know the destructive effects that the fossil fuel industry and industrial animal agriculture have on the planet, with factory farming in particular having the potential to breed the next pandemic while exploiting billions of animals, people, and the environment at the same time. This is why FOUR PAWS works on the local, national, and international level to improve the lives of animals impacted by and under the influence of humans.

Learn how climate change impacts:

WILD ANIMALS

FARM ANIMALS

COMPANION ANIMALS

Climate change causes unpredictable and extreme weather patterns as the planet warms. Just as humans lose their homes, their sources of food, and struggle to survive during severe weather events, such as floods or wildfires, animals too are harmed. While the official toll that severe weather has taken on wildlife is often undocumented, it is clear that wild animals suffer costly consequences.

In recent years, wildfires have been growing in number and severity in the U.S., burning hundreds of thousands of acres of land and killing untold numbers of wildlife. After California wildfires destroyed more than 4 million acres of land in 2020, it was estimated that hundreds of cougars may have been killed during the disaster, and many more were displaced from their homes. One onlooker captured a video of this mountain lion who was seen trying to flee the flames during the fires in 2025. Globally, similar cases of destruction have occurred in places like Brazil and Australia, killing millions or even billions of wild animals. Other types of extreme weather such as devastating storms, flooding, droughts, and extreme heat are also increasing in number and severity due to climate change, and the impacts of these disasters can be felt in both the human and animal world.

Captive wildlife

Animals in captivity are especially vulnerable in times of climate-induced extreme weather events. Unable to follow their instincts to hide or flee, captive animals are at the mercy of the humans who care for them. The Animal Welfare Act requires animal exhibitors (as well as animal breeders and animal research facilities) to have emergency preparedness plans in place, which provide some protection to captive wildlife. In some cases, facilities are prepared to protect animals, such as when Zoo Tampa put plans in action as Hurricane Milton headed towards Florida in 2024. In other cases, owners are less prepared, leading to deadly consequences for captive wildlife. In one such case in 2019, two tigers escaped from their enclosure in Citra, Florida during a hurricane and were then shot. Severe weather presents incredibly difficult circumstances for captive wildlife facilities and accredited animal sanctuaries alike, and animals often suffer the consequences of poor preparation.

Habitat Loss

In addition to the dangers caused by severe weather brought on by climate change, wild animals also suffer directly from habitat destruction caused by extractive fossil fuel operations and industrial agriculture. Nearly one third of the world’s habitable land is used for animal agriculture, with feed production and grazing pastures for animals taking up 77% of the world’s agricultural land. When this land is used for agriculture or other industries, the habitat is destroyed, wildlife lose their homes, and their natural food sources are reduced or eliminated. This displacement often forces animals into areas where people live, causing human-wildlife conflict. Animals will naturally look for food and shelter in new locations, such as suburban neighborhoods, farms, and campgrounds, and humans will sometimes come to see them as a nuisance and seek to have the animals killed or removed. Predators, such as big cats and bears, are often viewed as a particular threat in these situations even if the animals are showing no aggression towards humans.  While industries and human society are the cause of this problem, animals are often the ones that suffer and are blamed.

How FOUR PAWS is helping

Globally, FOUR PAWS rescues captive wild animals from terrible keeping conditions and provides them with species-appropriate, lifelong homes at our sanctuaries. We also rehabilitate wild orphaned orangutans at our ORANGUTAN FOREST SCHOOL in Indonesia. Here, we nurse the animals back to health and teach them the necessary skills they will need for survival in the wild. Sadly, the reason many orangutans are orphaned to begin with is tied to the same industries that cause climate change. Mining and palm oil farming have destroyed much of the orangutans’ rainforest home, and as these industries have encroached on areas where orangutans live, increased interactions and deadly conflicts have taken place between humans and the apes. Sometimes orangutans are killed by accident when their habitat is destroyed, and sometimes they are killed when they are viewed as pests if they steal food or wander onto plantations. While we hope to one day return these rehabilitated animals to the rainforest, in order for these reintroductions to be a success, orangutans’ habitat must be protected. 

Nationally, we fight to preserve and strengthen the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which plays a vital role in both protecting species from extinction and in maintaining the natural habitats they need to survive in the wild. 

Learn more about recent attacks on the ESA and how you can join us in opposing federal bills that would dismantle this important law!

Industrial agriculture is a major contributor to climate change. Animal agriculture makes up around 1/6th of all manmade greenhouse gas emissions, while farming cows for beef and dairy production causes 2/3rds of all global animal agriculture emissions. More than 85.4 billion animals are slaughtered for meat every year worldwide, which not only causes immense animal suffering but also fuels the climate crisis.

While farming of animals on a massive scale is harmful to the environment, farm animals themselves also suffer the consequences of climate change. With the huge number of animals kept on factory farms, it would be nearly impossible to move them all to safety when severe weather strikes, and the animals are often left in their cramped stables, unable to escape confinement.

After flooding caused by Hurricane Florence struck in 2018, millions of farm animals, mostly chickens and pigs, were killed in the flood waters. It is estimated that millions of farm animals die in floods and wildfires each year, though it is also likely that true numbers are higher as farm animal deaths likely go unreported or underreported.

While the Animal Welfare Act, mentioned above, helps protect some animals, farm animals are excluded from these protections. Making matters worse, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a Livestock Indemnity Program, which for each animal killed in a natural disaster, pays farmers 75% of the animal’s value. Since it is very expensive to move animals, some farmers opt for the payout and make the cruel choice to leave their farm animals to suffer and die. 

How FOUR PAWS is helping

Farm animals are some of the most vulnerable to climate change since few protections exist for these animals under the best circumstances. FOUR PAWS, along with our coalition partners, are working to better the lives of farm animals in the U.S. and across the globe in multiple ways. This includes supporting legislation to improve farm animal welfare, while also advocating for a more climate-friendly diet, which includes reducing one’s meat consumption and choosing more plant-based and environmentally sustainable food.

In the U.S., FOUR PAWS is also fighting to maintain state laws, like Proposition 12 in California and Question 3 in Massachusetts, that provide better conditions for farm animals then what exists on the federal level. In particular, we are opposing two federal bills, the Food Security and Farm Protection Act and the Save Our Bacon Act (previously known as the EATS Act), which are trying to undermine states’ rights to implement farm animal welfare laws and improve the wellbeing of farm animals. 

Learn more about recent attacks on farm animal welfare and what we are doing to stop them.

Pets often suffer from many of the same consequences of climate change that people do: the same extreme heat, fires, droughts, floods, and storms we face threaten pets too, and our furry friends need to rely on their human families to take care of them.

Extreme heat can be particularly dangerous for pets, and it is important to know the signs of overheating and heatstroke, while also taking precautions to ensure the pavement is not too hot for your dog’s feet. You can learn more about ways to protect your pets in our Keep Your Pets Safe During Extreme Heat Guide.

When people need to evacuate due to extreme weather, they also need to think about their pets. Encouragingly, in the past 20 years, both federal and state laws have been passed throughout the United States that give pet owners protection during natural disasters. After witnessing the suffering of pets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed the PETS Act, which authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide rescue, care, and shelter to household pets. 

Learn how to make a disaster preparedness kit for you and your pets.  

How FOUR PAWS is helping

Globally, FOUR PAWS has helped care for stray animal populations and displaced pets when natural disasters strike. In 2023, we delivered emergency care to animals in Syria and Turkey after the devastating earthquake. We have also helped with disaster relief projects in Indonesia, the Philippines, India, South Africa, Greece, Italy, and more. In the United States, our disaster relief team was on the ground in the aftermath of Hurricanes Michael, Florence, and Maria.

FOUR PAWS has also put together resources to help people with pets prepare for  natural disasters:

Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather patterns, and if our government does not take action to mitigate climate change, these patterns will only become more frequent and severe. Both humans and animals will suffer the consequences of inaction, and it is important that we all prepare ahead of time to protect the animals in our lives, while encouraging our elected officials on the state and federal level to support commonsense, science-backed climate policies, laws and regulations.