Climate change: how can we prepare U.S. homes for extreme weather?

The document assesses how U.S. households use flood insurance, air conditioning, portable generators, and insulation to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate change. It highlights disparities in access based on income and geography, while noting that some tools, such as air conditioning and fossil-fuel generators, may exacerbate climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and high energy consumption.

• Flood insurance coverage in the U.S. is concentrated in Gulf Coast states, with Florida, Texas, and Louisiana accounting for 60% of all active policies. While a 2020 survey suggested 27% of homeowners have flood insurance, the Insurance Information Institute notes a discrepancy with National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data, suggesting some homeowners may misunderstand what flood coverage actually entails.
• Air conditioning is widespread in the U.S., with only 8.8% of housing units lacking it in 2019, though adoption is significantly lower in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Income levels primarily influence the type of AC installed; higher-income households are more likely to have central air (85.6%) compared to those earning less than $30,000 (70.1%).
• Portable generator ownership is influenced by both income and regional risk, with 22.4% of households earning $100,000 or more owning one compared to 14.1% of those earning less than $30,000. Ownership is higher in New England (24.2%) and specific metro areas like Richmond, Virginia (28.8%), but very low in San Francisco (6.3%) and San Jose (7.5%).
• Home insulation quality is strongly correlated with income; 27.1% of households earning less than $20,000 reported poor or no insulation, compared to only 8.9% of those earning $140,000 or more. Inadequate insulation was specifically linked to failures during winter storms in Texas, leading to cracked pipes and frigid indoor temperatures.

APA

Leppert, R. (2021). Climate change: how can we prepare U.S. homes for extreme weather? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/which-tools-can-american-households-use-to-protect-people-against-climate-change/

Chicago

Leppert, Rebecca. Climate change: how can we prepare U.S. homes for extreme weather? World Economic Forum, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/which-tools-can-american-households-use-to-protect-people-against-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Leppert |first1=Rebecca |title=Climate change: how can we prepare U.S. homes for extreme weather? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=5 October 2021 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/which-tools-can-american-households-use-to-protect-people-against-climate-change/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leppert2021climate, author = {Leppert, Rebecca}, title = {{Climate change: how can we prepare U.S. homes for extreme weather?}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/which-tools-can-american-households-use-to-protect-people-against-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }