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The report examines how sea level rise and coastal flooding threaten elderly populations in the U.S., particularly those in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It highlights the dangers of evacuation for frail seniors, the impact of 'sunny day' flooding on access to healthcare, and the hidden financial risks to real estate equity for retirees on fixed incomes.

The report examines how shifting from a linear 'take, make, waste' model to a circular economy affects job creation and quality. It highlights that while circular production is generally more labour-intensive and can lead to net job gains—particularly in reprocessing and renewable energy—the transition requires 'just transition' policies to ensure jobs are 'decent' and inclusive. The document identifies specific sectors poised for growth, such as secondary steel reprocessing, and those facing decline, such as crude petroleum extraction, while noting a significant 'circularity gap' in the current global economy.

The report outlines 30 federal policy recommendations to improve coastal resilience in the United States, emphasizing community-led planning, nature-based solutions, and equitable financing. It argues that federal policies must shift from relying on past climate data to anticipating future conditions, particularly for infrastructure and land use. Key priorities include integrating climate justice, supporting tribal sovereignty in adaptation planning, and reforming benefit-cost analysis tools to better value social and environmental outcomes. The document also advocates for the creation of a national 'green bank' and a federal climate heritage coordination office to manage the intersection of cultural preservation and climate change.

The research paper examines the relationship between climate change and global instability, asserting that while climate change may not cause conflict in isolation, it intensifies problems like food and water insecurity, economic loss, and ethnic tensions. It highlights that the risk of conflict is heavily dependent on regional sociopolitical contexts, such as government corruption and historical grievances. The document also notes a correlation in the U.S. between residents of disaster-prone areas and higher levels of concern regarding climate change, suggesting that these insights should inform government policies on mitigation and conflict prevention.

The report examines the growth of private equity (PE) in the behavioral health sector, specifically focusing on autism, eating disorders, and addiction treatment. It argues that PE's demand for outsized returns in an underfunded sector creates risks such as inadequate staffing, reliance on unlicensed personnel, and the potential for patient abuse. The document provides detailed case studies of Sequel Youth and Family Services and Community Intervention Services to illustrate these risks, including allegations of fraud, neglect, and systemic abuse across multiple US states.

The author contends that Florida utilities rank near the bottom of all US states in providing energy efficiency programs, which increases power bills and reliance on coal and gas plants. The text highlights that the Florida Public Service Commission continues to use an energy efficiency formula from the 1990s and notes that in 2019, utilities proposed a 10-year energy efficiency goal of zero. Earthjustice, representing the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, is urging the Commission to hold new public hearings to update these goals, particularly to benefit low-income customers.

Based on 2018 and 2019 survey data, the study finds that 64% of Americans believe global warming affects U.S. weather. Risk perceptions are heavily influenced by local geography, with residents in the West fearing droughts and wildfires, those in the Midwest fearing flooding, and those in the East and Southeast fearing hurricanes. While 56% of Americans view extreme weather as a high or moderate risk to their community over the next decade, the specific concerns vary by state, often reflecting local experiences with 'Billion Dollar Disaster Events'.

The report finds that transitioning from the current vertically-integrated monopoly structure to a competitive RTO in the Southeast would generate approximately $384 billion in cumulative savings by 2040. This shift would lower retail electricity costs by 29% and reduce carbon emissions by 37% relative to 2018 levels. The analysis highlights that competition accelerates the deployment of wind, solar, and battery storage, creating a net increase of 285,000 jobs compared to the business-as-usual scenario. The study contrasts this with the current Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) approach, which it characterizes as inefficient due to excessive reserve margins and a reliance on uneconomic coal generation.

The report uses the WIS:dom-P optimization model to compare four capacity expansion scenarios for the Southeast US: the current SE IRP, an economic IRP without an RTO, an SE RTO, and an SE RTO that retains uneconomic nuclear plants. The findings indicate that the SE RTO scenario is the most economic, offering cumulative savings of $383.7 billion by 2040 and the highest job creation. Retaining nuclear plants further reduces emissions, saving an additional 156.76 million metric tonnes of CO2 by 2040 at a minimal additional cost. The study also highlights the role of variable renewable energy (VRE) and storage in meeting seasonal demand peaks and the importance of transmission expansion in a coordinated regional market.

The document argues that rising sea levels and extreme coastal flooding threaten approximately 2,000 Superfund sites along the US East and Gulf Coasts, potentially releasing hazardous chemicals into nearby communities. It highlights that these risks disproportionately affect communities of color and low-income households, who are more likely to live near these sites. The authors criticize the Trump administration for sidelining climate science and rescinding resilience-focused executive orders, and they recommend a new executive order and interagency coordination to integrate climate science into Superfund site risk assessments.

The document asserts that current US voting conditions are inadequate for a pandemic, citing primary election failures in states like Wisconsin, Illinois, and Florida. It advocates for universal vote-by-mail, automatic and online registration, and expanded early in-person voting to protect voters and ensure electoral integrity.

The document highlights that older adults are disproportionately affected by extreme heat due to physiological vulnerabilities and social isolation. It argues that while air conditioning is critical, it can be inaccessible due to poverty or power failures, and its use contributes to further warming. The report emphasizes that social connection is a primary defense against heat deaths and details successful community interventions in cities like Philadelphia and Phoenix, while warning that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates risks by increasing isolation.

A coalition of over 450 organizations is calling for immediate federal legislative action to end systemic police violence against Black people in the United States. The letter identifies critical failures in police accountability, the dangers of militarized policing, and the lack of national data on use-of-force. It proposes eight specific legislative measures, including banning chokeholds, ending qualified immunity, and creating a national public registry of officer misconduct.

The document is a transcript of a briefing featuring experts from the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. It examines the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, as well as recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico, highlighting the vulnerability of the electric grid and coastal infrastructure. The speakers argue that while Congress has approved significant funding for recovery and resilience, bureaucratic delays in federal agencies like HUD and FEMA have stalled the disbursement of these resources. The briefing emphasizes the effectiveness of nature-based solutions, such as coral reef restoration, for wave attenuation and coastal protection, while noting that traditional cost-benefit analysis tools often favor short-term returns over long-term resilient infrastructure.

The policy brief contends that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated existing vulnerabilities in the U.S. fossil fuel industry, making a fair transition for workers urgent. It advises against using federal stimulus for fossil fuel assets, suggesting instead that investments be directed toward low-carbon infrastructure, which creates more jobs per million dollars spent. The author proposes a four-part framework for a fair transition: accounting for automation and digitization, planning proactively across all carbon-intensive industries, recognizing that clean energy jobs may not be a direct replacement for all fossil fuel roles due to geographic and skill gaps, and employing bottom-up, community-led investment strategies.

The briefing highlights the challenges of tracking climate impacts on archaeological and historic sites in the U.S., noting that while nationally-registered historic sites are documented, archaeological site data is often confidential. It emphasizes the need for more funding for state offices and the potential for the U.S. to learn from Scotland's coastal archaeology monitoring and citizen science programs.

The document describes a vulnerability assessment protocol developed for the National Park Service (NPS) to evaluate coastal infrastructure risks. The assessments focus on physical exposure and characteristics, helping managers decide whether to protect, move, or decommission assets. While sea level rise models projected to 2050 are used, the text notes that hurricanes at current sea levels contribute significantly to exposure scores. Practical applications include raising utilities in Florida and incorporating local perspectives at Cumberland Island National Seashore.

The briefing describes a multi-year project to assess the vulnerability of National Park Service (NPS) coastal assets to hazards such as sea level rise and storm surges. The methodology separates vulnerability into 'exposure' (the likelihood of a hazard hitting an asset) and 'sensitivity' (the potential damage once the hazard occurs). By integrating this data into existing asset management databases, the project provides park managers with a science-based menu of adaptation options—such as elevating, relocating, or decommissioning structures—to optimize the allocation of limited maintenance funds based on an asset's mission priority.

The report examines the procurement processes of vertically integrated utilities in the United States, highlighting how monopsony power and financial incentives often lead to the over-procurement of capacity and a bias toward self-built, gas-fired generation. Using Xcel Colorado as a model, the authors recommend five best practices for regulators: determining technology-neutral needs through resource planning, requiring competitive all-source bidding with robust evaluation, conducting advance review of procurement terms, ensuring utility ownership does not conflict with competitive bidding, and upholding rules for fairness and transparency. The report analyzes case studies from Colorado, New Mexico, Georgia, Minnesota, Indiana, Texas, California, Virginia, and North Carolina to illustrate the effectiveness of all-source RFPs in reducing costs and increasing renewable energy deployment.

The document is a transcript of a virtual briefing featuring experts from NOAA, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Wetlands Watch, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The discussion focuses on the implementation of natural infrastructure, such as living shorelines and coral reef restoration, to combat sea level rise and storm surge in the Southeast. Key topics include the use of NOAA's Digital Coast tools, the effectiveness of oyster-based shorelines in North Carolina, the impact of nuisance flooding and sea level rise in Virginia, and the threat of stony coral tissue loss disease in Florida. The panelists also discuss regulatory barriers, the need for improved cost-benefit analysis for nature-based solutions, and the importance of coordinated funding and permitting processes to enhance regional resilience.