Already the most common natural disaster in the United States, climate-related flooding is increasing, even where floods previously were rare.
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REPORT: Green lending programs offer financial incentives for energy-efficient developments
By Keely Felton, CEA, CMVP. Major “green" lending programs help to offset the costs of such sustainable and energy-efficient...
Industry News
Insurance’s reinvention – how climate risk is forcing change
When it comes to climate impacts, the frontline of the finance industry is insurance. Last year’s payout from damages caused by extreme-weather events totalled US$120 billion—about the same as the economic output of Kenya.
Six Environmental Justice Policy Fights to Watch in 2023
These are the issues competing for priority this year as $60 billion earmarked in the Inflation Reduction Act for environmental justice efforts begins to flow into U.S. communities.
Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022
A town-flattening hurricane in Florida. Catastrophic flooding in eastern Kentucky. Crippling heatwaves in the Northeast and West. A historic megadrought.
Building a greener future begins with buildings
Turning sustainability ambition into action begins with buildings. The built environment is the single largest emitter of carbon, ahead of even transportation and agriculture.
There were some big climate policy moves in 2022. What’s on tap for the new year?
When it came to climate change, 2022 offered some reasonably good news and some pretty alarming bad news.
Are we in the Anthropocene? Geologists could define new epoch for Earth
Researchers have zeroed in on nine sites that could describe a new geological time, marked by pollution and other signs of human activity.
CRE Could See New Funding From $4.2B Environmental Bonds Act
Earlier this month, roughly 68% of voters in New York voted to approve a ballot measure that will allocate billions of dollars for climate spending.
U.S. Launches Nature Based Solutions Strategy to Fight Climate Change
The Biden administration announced the release of its Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap, with recommended actions including updating policies and unlocking funding to increase the deployment of nature-based solutions to address climate change.
NJDEP Proposes Significant Changes to Inland Flood Hazard Area Regulations
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has announced that it will propose an Inland Flood Protection Rule to revise its flood hazard and stormwater management rules in an effort to mitigate the impacts of increased flooding and...
EU Proposes Rules Requiring All New Buildings to be Zero Emission by 2030
The European Council announced today that its member states have agreed on stricter energy performance rules aimed at decarbonizing buildings as part of “Fit for 55,” the EU initiative to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990...
Rethinking How We Measure Companies on Social and Environmental Impact
A new framework offers a broader, more effective approach to assessing both the internal and external aspects of a company’s social and sustainability performance.
The $369bn Climate Deal: America’s Path to Climate Resilience
Two weeks after Sen. Joe Manchin tanked the downsized Build Back Better package, Senate Democrats on July 27, 2022 released the proposed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “Act” or IRA).
Good Corporate Citizenship And Liability In An Era Of Climate Change And Environmental Justice
The Biden administration brought a much sharper focus and prioritization to issues of climate change and environmental justice, which presents significant implications for environmental permitting...
Canada’s new climate plan ‘most detailed and transparent’ yet, enviro orgs say
Canada’s new climate plan is the most comprehensive and detailed so far, and despite some shortcomings, many Canadian environmental organizations say it is an important step in the right direction.
Cities need to be redesigned for the climate crisis. Can they make us happy, too?
It’s tempting to draw lines on a map, but we can’t forget that cities should be designed for the people who live there.
Three Takeaways from the SEC’s New Proposed Rules on Climate Disclosures
Today, the Securities & Exchange Commission voted 3 to 1 in favor of adopting a long-awaited set of proposed revisions to SEC regulations concerning the disclosure of climate risks and related financial impacts, as well as data on greenhouse gas emissions in certain SEC filings.
Ukraine Is in an Environmental Crisis Too
Russia’s attack is literally tearing the country apart, polluting air and water. Ukrainians will suffer long after the conflict ends.
Fast changes, food woes and who’s vulnerable: 7 big takeaways from the U.N. climate report
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the more than 3,600-page report “an atlas of human suffering” and a “damning indictment of failed climate leadership.”
Visualizing the Accumulation of Human-Made Mass on Earth
In 2020, the amount of human-made mass, or anthropogenic mass, exceeded for the first time the dry weight (except for water and fluids) of all life on Earth, including humans, animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms.
Insurance Industry Expected to Play Major Role in Addressing Climate Change Following COP26
The insurance industry was front and center before, during and after the first days of the United Nations’ (UN) climate change summit, Conference of the Parties (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, which concluded earlier this month.