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 >
Latest Global Warming Posts

The FHFA Begins to Reckon with Climate Risks to the Housing Market
March 5, 2021 1:48 PM EDT

FEMA’s Expert Committee Breathes a Sigh of Relief: They can now “Actually Say Climate Change.”
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 >

El vórtice polar ha matado a 24 en Texas hasta ahora. ¿De quién es la culpa?
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 >

The Polar Vortex Has Killed 24 in Texas So Far. Who’s to Blame?
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 >