Search Climate Insights Directory

The document examines how climate change is creating a home insurance crisis in the U.S., characterized by skyrocketing premiums and widespread policy non-renewals. It asserts that 'Big Oil' companies, who knew about the risks of fossil fuels as early as 1954, are responsible for these conditions. The report highlights specific state-level crises in Florida, California, and Hawaiʻi, and advocates for policy solutions—such as subrogation and legislative surcharges—to shift the financial burden from policyholders to the fossil fuel industry.

The document is a quick start guide for the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), a tool developed by Energy Innovation to help users model state-level energy systems and climate policies. Using Louisiana as an example, it explains how to access the simulator, apply specific policies such as a Clean Electricity Standard or Building Component Electrification, and analyze results through CO2e emission graphs and wedge diagrams. It also describes how to use pre-designed scenarios, including the NDC Scenario and the Federal Policy Repeal and Rollback scenario, to test different decarbonization pathways.

Between 1980 and 2024, the U.S. experienced 403 billion-dollar disasters resulting in over $2.9 trillion in direct costs and nearly 17,000 deaths. The frequency and cost of these events have risen sharply, with the average time between disasters dropping from 82 days in the 1980s to 19 days in the last decade. Tropical cyclones are the costliest event type, while severe storms are the most frequent.

The document analyzes how federal clean energy incentives have driven over $321 billion in investments across the U.S. between Q2 2022 and Q1 2025, highlighting that these investments are heavily concentrated in Southern and Western states and Republican-held congressional districts. It argues that rolling back these incentives would disproportionately harm these regions and jeopardize significant outstanding investments in states like Louisiana and North Dakota, as well as major projects in emerging hubs like Southern Arizona and the Southeast.

Earthjustice, representing several environmental and community groups, has formally requested the suspension of federal and state permit applications for Air Products Blue Energy LLC’s proposed Louisiana Clean Energy Complex. The request follows announcements by Air Products & Chemical, Inc. that it intends to divest the carbon dioxide sequestration, ammonia plant, and marine terminal components of the project as part of a 'derisking strategy.' The company has stated it will not proceed with the hydrogen plant without 'off take agreements' and has paused new spending commitments. Earthjustice argues that continuing the review would waste public resources on a 'speculative endeavor' and highlights potential environmental damage, including the destruction of 484.77 acres of wetlands and impacts on the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area and Lake Maurepas.

An attribution analysis reveals that 88% of 247 major U.S. cities have seen an increase in extremely hot summer days strongly influenced by climate change since 1970. On average, these cities now experience six such days annually, compared to zero in the 1970s, with the most significant increases occurring in the South, particularly in Texas and Louisiana.

The report examines the vulnerabilities of the US power grid to climate change, highlighting how extreme heat, wildfires, winter storms, and hurricanes cause widespread outages. It argues that current planning focuses on reliability under typical conditions rather than resilience to high-impact, low-frequency events. The authors emphasize that structural inequities, such as the legacy of redlining, leave low-income communities and people of color disproportionately vulnerable to the life-threatening consequences of power loss. The document recommends that regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs) adopt forward-looking climate risk assessments, integrate energy justice principles, and reform economic metrics like the Value of Lost Load (VOLL) to prioritize human vulnerability over economic activity.

The document outlines the drivers and impacts of coastal erosion, highlighting the vulnerability of the 15% of the global population living near coasts. It critiques temporary solutions like beach nourishment and emphasizes the loss of coastal wetlands, which act as storm defenses. The guide offers journalistic advice on handling the complexity of community resettlement, utilizing public records, and valuing indigenous knowledge. It also suggests specific data sources from NOAA and the USGS to track shoreline changes and the costs of erosion control.

The document outlines the drivers and impacts of shoreline loss, noting that roughly 15% of the global population lives near coasts and faces increased erosion from climate-fueled storms and rising seas. It highlights the high cost and temporary nature of beach renourishment, citing North Carolina's expenditure of over $1 billion since the 1950s. The guide provides reporting advice from journalist Olga Loginova, emphasizing the importance of embracing complexity, using public records requests, and valuing Indigenous traditional knowledge. It also lists specific global examples of coastal loss in Scotland, Nigeria, and the US, alongside recommended data sources from NOAA and the US Geological Survey.

The Private Equity Detention and Surveillance Tracker details the involvement of private equity firms in the US mass incarceration system, covering facility management, healthcare, food services, telecommunications, and surveillance tools. It highlights how profit motives lead to cost-cutting in critical services, high markups on basic necessities, and the deployment of controversial surveillance technologies.

The Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program is designed to demonstrate localized hydrogen production and end-use to create a synergistic national hydrogen economy. The author warns that planned funding cuts by the Trump administration would jeopardize an estimated 334,280 jobs and tens of billions of dollars in private sector investment. The document emphasizes that a network of hubs is necessary to create a viable market for hydrogen-fueled equipment and to maintain U.S. leadership in low-carbon hydrogen production and technology exports.

In April 2025, 182 out of 191 analyzed U.S. cities were warmer than normal, with an average temperature anomaly of 2.1°F. The Southeast region experienced the most significant anomalies and the highest number of days with a Climate Shift Index (CSI) of 2 or above, indicating temperatures at least twice as likely to occur due to climate change. Shreveport, Louisiana, recorded the highest anomaly at 6.33°F, while Reno, Nevada, showed the fastest long-term April warming since 1970, increasing by 8.0°F.

The author contends that the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are bypassing clean air laws by granting pollution waivers to coal-fired power plants and chemical manufacturers. The document asserts that the administration is distorting Section 112(i)(4) of the Clean Air Act—originally intended for extraordinary national security circumstances—to provide corporate giveaways without scientific review or public input. It highlights that 68 coal-fired power plants have already received two-year exemptions from Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and that industry groups like the American Chemistry Council are seeking similar exemptions for over 200 chemical facilities.

The U.S. public EV charging network grew more than six-fold between 2016 and 2025, reaching nearly 196,000 ports. While California leads in total numbers and northeastern states lead in density, significant coverage gaps remain in the southern, central, and plains regions. To support a projected 33 million EVs by 2030, the U.S. may need 1 million additional public chargers, including 170,000 DC fast chargers.

The document outlines the complexities of climate migration, emphasizing that most displacement occurs internally and is often driven by a combination of extreme weather and systemic vulnerabilities. It provides practical interviewing advice for reporters and lists specific global examples—from the Marshall Islands to Senegal—to illustrate the diverse ways communities face environmental displacement.

The analysis finds that approximately 2.5 million people and 1.4 million homes in the contiguous U.S. are at risk from a severe coastal flood by 2050 under current global carbon reduction commitments. Florida, New York, and New Jersey are the most affected states. The report highlights that older adults are disproportionately exposed, with 540,000 people aged 65 and older living in at-risk areas.

The report projects that by 2050, approximately 2.5 million people in 1.4 million homes across the contiguous U.S. will be at risk from severe coastal floods under the SSP2-4.5 pollution pathway. Florida, New York, and New Jersey face the highest risks in terms of population and housing, while Louisiana has the largest land area at risk. New York City is identified as the city with the highest number of people at risk. The analysis highlights that older adults and socially vulnerable populations are disproportionately exposed to these risks.

The document discusses the decline of Tesla's market share in the U.S. and Europe and the environmental impact of EV supply chains, specifically critiquing Hyundai's manufacturing plans while advocating for a transition to green steel and human rights protections.

A coalition of 123 organizations argues that dismantling the EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) would undermine the scientific basis for protecting public health from toxic chemicals. The letter specifically opposes H.R. 1415 and S. 623, asserting that IRIS provides essential, peer-reviewed toxicity evaluations used for Superfund cleanups, air toxics standards, and drinking water safeguards. The authors warn that removing these scientific resources would increase risks of cancer and birth defects, particularly in industrial areas like Geismar, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas.

The document warns of a rare two-day 'Moderate Risk' of severe weather in the Midwest and Deep South on March 14-15, 2025, driven by temperatures 15-25°F above mid-March averages. It links this early-season warmth to human-caused climate change and notes a long-term increase in Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) and the frequency of extreme tornado outbreaks in the U.S.