Search Climate Insights Directory
34 results
Heat Waves and Climate Change
The document details how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of heat waves in the United States, leading to higher mortality rates and significant disruptions. It highlights the disproportionate vulnerability of children, the elderly, low-income and minority populations, and outdoor workers. Beyond health, extreme heat damages transportation infrastructure, reduces agricultural yields, and strains the electricity grid, necessitating a transition to low-carbon energy solutions and adaptive urban design to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Fumes Across the Fence-Line
The report quantifies the health risks faced by millions of African Americans living near oil and gas infrastructure, highlighting elevated cancer risks and asthma attacks. It details the role of systemic oppression in siting polluting facilities in communities of color and calls for stricter EPA regulations and a transition to a clean energy economy.
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Document type: Report
How Maryland Benefits from Federal Fuel Economy and Vehicle Emissions Standards
The document argues that federal light-duty vehicle standards set by the EPA and NHTSA in 2012 benefit Maryland by reducing gasoline consumption, lowering household spending at the pump, and stimulating local economic growth and job creation.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Maryland Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) identifies numerous Maryland communities, particularly on the Eastern Shore, at risk of chronic inundation—defined as high tide flooding 10% or more of usable non-wetland area at least 26 times per year. Under an intermediate sea level rise scenario, 22 communities will face this by 2035 and 17 more by 2100, with some areas like Crisfield facing flooding of over half its land area within 20 years. The report emphasizes that limiting global warming could spare between 9 and 31 communities from chronic inundation by the end of the century and calls for updated flood maps, reformed insurance, and funded relocation programs.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Building a Climate-Resilient City
The document argues that Alberta's cities must move beyond historical climatic patterns to build resilience against more frequent and intense extreme weather events. It emphasizes integrating climate projections into emergency planning, investing in robust and redundant infrastructure, and fostering community resourcefulness through participatory engagement.
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Document type: Briefing
Toward Climate Resilience
The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a climate resilience framework based on narrowing the 'resilience gap' through combined mitigation and adaptation efforts. The report outlines 15 principles categorized by rigorous science, equitable outcomes, and ambitious common sense to ensure adaptation is scientifically sound and socially just.
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Document type: Report
Perceptions of Community Resilience
The report finds that residents in underserved Maryland neighborhoods perceive climate change risks similarly to the general state population but experience significantly higher rates of environmental harms, such as flooding and sewage overflows. While these communities support government action on climate and the creation of local resilience hubs, they report lower levels of social capital and resource accessibility. The study highlights a strong demand for energy bill assistance and community centers, suggesting that climate preparedness efforts should be integrated with broader community development and social resilience goals.
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Document type: Report
Encroaching Tides
An analysis of 52 tide gauges along the US East and Gulf Coasts indicates a steep increase in tidal flooding events over the next 30 years. By 2030, over half of the studied communities are projected to experience at least 24 tidal floods annually. By 2045, one-third of these locations could face flooding more than 180 times per year, with some areas in the mid-Atlantic potentially inundated more than 10 percent of the time. The report argues that while local flood-proofing and federal resilience investments are necessary, the only long-term solution to slow sea level rise is the swift reduction of global warming pollution.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
Encroaching Tides
The report analyzes 52 tide gauges from Maine to Texas, projecting that by 2045, many U.S. East and Gulf Coast communities will face a ten-fold increase in tidal flooding. It argues that such flooding will disrupt daily life, damage infrastructure, and necessitate a coordinated national response combining local adaptation—such as elevating roads and restoring wetlands—with global carbon emission reductions.
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Document type: Report
Superbowl XLVIII & Groundhog Day
The briefing compares the climate of East Rutherford, New Jersey, with other NFL cities, noting that while it is a cold-weather venue for Super Bowl XLVIII, it is not the coldest in the league. It highlights historical Super Bowl temperature extremes and records the highest one-day snowfall in NFL cities, specifically noting Foxborough, MA. Additionally, it cites MIT research indicating that temperatures below 50°F negatively impact field goal accuracy more than wind or precipitation.
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Document type: Briefing
Global Warming Case Taken Up By Supreme Court Statement of Norman Dean, Executive Director, Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth welcomes the Supreme Court's decision to review a 2003 EPA ruling that denied the agency's authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The organization argues that the lack of regulation has coincided with a 16 percent increase in global warming emissions since 1990 and contributed to severe weather events and economic losses, such as the $57.6 billion in insurance losses from 2005 hurricanes.
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Document type: Statement
Maryland: Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills
Maryland generates over 1.9 million tons of coal combustion waste annually, ranking 23rd in the US. The state utilizes at least 31 landfills and minefills, as ponds are prohibited. However, the document highlights significant regulatory gaps, such as discretionary groundwater monitoring and a lack of financial assurance requirements. These deficiencies are linked to several contamination cases, including a $54 million settlement for the BBSS Gambrills site and documented groundwater pollution at the Brandywine and Faulkner facilities.
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Document type: Fact sheet
EL SECRETO SUCIO DE NUEVA JERSEY
The report details the environmental and public health impacts of waste incinerators in New Jersey, specifically highlighting how these facilities are located in low-income communities of color. It provides data on air pollution emissions and permit violations, criticizes the use of renewable energy subsidies for incineration, and proposes a policy framework to phase out incinerators in favor of zero-waste strategies.
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Document type: Report
NEW JERSEY’S DIRTY SECRET
The report details the environmental and public health impacts of waste incinerators in New Jersey, highlighting their disproportionate location in overburdened communities of color and low-income areas. It documents significant air permit violations and the receipt of millions in clean energy subsidies despite high emissions. The authors propose a shift toward a zero-waste hierarchy—emphasizing redesign, reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting—and recommend that New Jersey ban new incinerators and decommission existing ones by 2030.
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Document type: Report