Learn about the science and impacts of global warming from our scientists and experts—and explore the solutions we have at hand to address this critical issue.
March 5, 2021 1:48 PM EDT
Yesterday I had the opportunity to offer comments at the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s public listening session on its recently issued Request for Information (RFI) on climate and natural disaster risk to the housing finance system. This is a watershed moment, with a growing recognition from regulators and market actors that climate change is an economic threat and that climate risks must be acknowledged and addressed. Read more >
March 3, 2021 11:40 AM EDT
President Biden has set an important shift in tone via his executive orders on climate change. It’s too soon in the early days of this administration to assess whether this guidance is filtering down to agencies comprehensively. However, to live into the whole-of-government approach, agencies need to change quickly to integrate climate change into their missions as Biden is championing. Read more >
March 2, 2021 9:28 AM EDT
Last Friday, the Biden administration announced an interim update to the social cost of heat-trapping emissions, key metrics for measuring the economic costs of climate impacts from a unit increase in these emissions.
This update to the social cost of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide comes as a result of an Executive Order from President Biden, and essentially restores the values to what they were prior to the Trump administration, adjusting for inflation. A more thorough process will follow to update these values by January 2022 to reflect the latest science and economics. Read more >
February 19, 2021 2:27 PM EDT
Mientras observamos que la mayor parte del país se ve afectada por este vórtice polar, reflexionamos si el cambio climático tiene algo que ver con él y si es más probable que ocurran estos eventos extremos en el futuro. Estamos paralizados ante las imágenes provenientes de Texas, donde el hielo se apoderó de la mayor parte de un estado que no estaba acostumbrado y, ciertamente, no estaba preparado para ello. Escuchamos sobre los cortes de energía, qué los causó (o no) y qué se debe hacer para prepararse para el próximo congelamiento. Sin embargo, cuando pensamos en eso, las perspectivas de las personas que lo están pasando son un componente importante de la historia que hay que contar.
Mi colega Maegan Ramirez es oriunda de El Paso, y tiene mucho que decir sobre la situación en Texas. Supuse que lo oiríamos en su propia voz. Read more >
February 19, 2021 1:16 PM EDT
As we watch most of the country being taken over by this polar vortex, we ponder whether climate change has anything to do with it, and if these extreme events will be more likely to happen in the future. We are transfixed at images coming from Texas, where the deep freeze took a hold of most of a state not used to it, and certainly not prepared for it. We hear about the energy outages, what caused them (and what didn’t), and what should be done to prepare for the next deep freeze.
However, when we think of that, the perspectives of people who are living through it all are an important component of the story that needs to be told.
My colleague Maegan Ramirez hails from El Paso and had a lot to say about the situation in Texas. I figured we should hear it in her own voice. Read more >
