The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA) builds to the future and reflects the reality of climate change, therefore providing a useful roadmap for Congress as they consider different infrastructure proposals. Read more >
New Defense Bill Strengthens the Military’s Flood & Energy Readiness and Saves Taxpayer Dollars—All While Addressing Climate Change
Shana Udvardy, Climate Resilience Analyst
August 7, 2018 10:00 AM EDT
Photo: Ben Grantham/Flickr
Chronic Flooding and the Future of Miami
Nicole Hernández Hammer, UCS Blog
August 2, 2018 2:21 PM EDT
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recently released a report analyzing the impacts of chronic tidal flooding on U.S. coastal properties in the lower 48 states. The number of homes and businesses, their value, along with the amount of tax base and most importantly, people at risk is startling. They found that by 2045, 311,000 homes, worth $117.5 billion dollars by today’s market values, could be at risk of chronic flooding driven by climate change. By 2100, 2.4 million homes, worth approximately $912 billion dollars, and 4.7 million people will be at risk. Nowhere more than Florida, that bears 40% of the risk, are these realities being felt now and will be more so in the future as sea levels continue to rise. Ultimately, the impacts of climate change driven chronic flooding leads to a greater potential crisis for low-income communities.
Congress Must Extend and Reform the National Flood Insurance Program
Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy
July 11, 2018 4:44 PM EDT
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is up for re-authorization by the end of July. As flood risks grow around the nation, it’s time for Congress to reform and update this vital 50-year old program to better protect people and property. Without appropriate action, a warming climate coupled with rapid development in floodplains will raise the human and economic toll of flood disasters while taxpayer dollars are squandered on risky, business-as-usual investments. Read more >
Photo: Alan Grinsberg/Flickr
Six Key Facts Ignored in Dismissal of California Climate Suits vs. Fossil Fuel Companies
Kathy Mulvey, climate accountability campaign manager
June 27, 2018 5:22 PM EDT
This week, U.S. District Judge William Alsup dismissed lawsuits by San Francisco and Oakland seeking to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their contributions to climate change. Judge Alsup’s ruling dangerously rested on balancing climate harms with fossil energy benefits, deferred to legislative- and executive-branch solutions that major fossil fuel companies have spent millions opposing, seriously underplayed the role of ExxonMobil and others in spreading disinformation about climate science and policy, and punted on the question of who should pay for climate damages.
How Many Homes Are at Risk from Sea Level Rise? New Interactive Map Has the Answers
Kristy Dahl, climate scientist
June 25, 2018 8:54 AM EDT
Last week the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report revealing that sea level rise puts over 300,000 homes in the United States at risk of increasingly frequent, disruptive flooding in just the next 30 years. Along with the report, UCS published an interactive map tool that lets you explore the exposure of coastal real estate in your state, your community, or your ZIP code to chronic flooding, or flooding that occurs 26 times or more per year (an average of every other week). It also highlights the implications of this massive risk to our economy and the importance of both acting quickly to curtail our carbon emissions and using the coming years wisely to prepare for the changes to come. Read more >
