The New (Ab)Normal

The briefing 'The New (Ab)Normal' describes the escalating frequency and severity of climate-driven catastrophes, using the 2020 wildfire season in Colorado and the western United States as a primary example. It argues that the world has entered a state of 'continuous escalation of catastrophe' and outlines five critical areas of impact: mass migration, health threats, financial instability, the need for resilient rebuilding, and the necessity of updating the electric grid. The author emphasizes that immediate global action to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 is required to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

• The 2020 wildfire season in Colorado saw unprecedented activity, including the Cameron Peak Fire, which burned over 200,000 acres and remained only 55 percent contained by late October, and the East Troublesome Fire, which grew from 19,000 to over 170,000 acres in two days. Other significant fires in the state included the Calwood, Lefthand Canyon, Williams Fork, Middle Fork, Ice, Grizzly Creek, and Pine Gulch fires.
• Climate change is creating a 'threat multiplier' effect, where environmental disasters exacerbate other crises. For example, hazardous air quality from forest fire smoke, specifically fine particulate matter (PM2.5), can increase the likelihood of death from respiratory issues such as COVID-19.
• The climate crisis poses systemic risks to human society and the global economy, including mass displacement and financial instability. Pro Publica analysis suggests up to 162 million people in the United States—nearly half the population—will likely experience a decline in environmental quality, with 93 million facing severe changes. Additionally, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission warned that frequent climate shocks could undermine the fundamental conditions of the financial system.
• To mitigate future risks, the document advocates for a transition to resilient urban planning and a redesigned power system. This includes moving populations away from the wildland-urban interface toward denser, mixed-use communities and shifting the electric grid from centralized generation to localized resources and flexible microgrids using renewable energy and battery storage.
• To limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the author states that emissions must be reduced by 50 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 at the latest.

APA

RMI (2020). The New (Ab)Normal. https://rmi.org/resources/the-new-abnormal/

Chicago

RMI. The New (Ab)Normal. 2020. https://rmi.org/resources/the-new-abnormal/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=The New (Ab)Normal |date=23 October 2020 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/the-new-abnormal/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2020new, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{The New (Ab)Normal}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/the-new-abnormal/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }