• POWER-GRID RESILIENCEFrustrated by Outdated Grids, Consumers Are Lobbying for Control of Their Electricity

    By Emma Foehringer Merchant

    Climate change is spurring interest in remaking local infrastructure to accommodate renewable energy, minimize power failures, and expand consumer choice.

  • WATER SECURITYTackling the World's Climate-Driven Water Crisis

    A safe supply of clean water is necessary for human survival – yet 2.2 billion people around the world lack access to this basic human right. A global crisis is looming on water security, which has been escalated by climate change.

  • MARITIME CHALLENGESDecrease in Rainfall in Central America Could Cut Off the Panama Canal

    By Dirk Kaufmann

    To see the economic consequences of global warming look no further than the Panama Canal. There, water levels are down because of less rain in Central America. Experts fear ordinary consumers may end up paying the price.

  • FLASH DROUGHTSGlobal Flash Droughts Expected to Increase in a Warming Climate

    By Chelsea Julian

    The rapid development of unexpected drought, called flash drought, can severely impact agricultural and ecological systems with ripple effects that extend even further. Researchers are assessing how our warming climate will affect the frequency of flash droughts and the risk to croplands globally.

  • RISK ASSESSMENTModeling Catastrophic Impacts, Risk Assessment of Climate Change

    The insurance and reinsurance sector are at the forefront of translating weather and climate information into financial and societal risks, but the industry’s focus has been on use of catastrophe models rather than incorporating climate change data and projections that can help characterize future conditions.

  • EXTREME-WEATHER COSTSIn Years After El Niño, Global Economy Loses Trillions

    In the years it strikes, the band of warm ocean water known as El Niño that spans from South America to Asia triggers far-reaching weather changes resulting in devastating floods, crop-killing droughts, plummeting fish populations, and an uptick in tropical diseases.

  • COASTAL CHALLENGESLong-Term Coastal Cliff Loss Due to Climate Change

    By Anne M. Stark

    The dangers of coastal erosion are an all-too-familiar reality for the modern residents of California’s iconic mountainous coastal communities. New tool brings historical perspective to the topic of how to manage these disappearing coastlines.

  • CLIMATE CHALLENGESPossible Future Health Impacts Related to Climate Mitigation

    Reduce fossil fuel use and air quality will improve, right? It might not be as straightforward as it appears, according to researchers. Some climate change mitigation measures may cause worsening of air quality.

  • CLIMATE CHALLENGESGlobal Temperatures set to Reach New Records in Next Five Years

    Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fueled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño event. There is a 66% likelihood that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year.  There is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record.

  • FLOODSOne in Six Properties in England Will Be Affected by Flood Risk by 2050: Study

    Flood risk affects English residential property values. New report shows that residential properties at risk of flooding are sold at 8.14% lower on average compared to non-affected properties. The report shines a light on the extent to which climate change and the increased propensity of natural disasters is affecting the housing market.

  • COASTAL CHALLANGESCommercial Investors Shift Perspective of Coastal Properties in Face of Climate Change

    By Krista Weidner

    Investors in commercial real estate are rethinking the values of coastal properties exposed to flood risk — even in northern U.S. locales that haven’t suffered flood damage, according to researchers. This shift in perspective has implications for investors and developers alike as they determine the value of coastal properties amid a changing climate.

  • NUCLEAR POWERAmericans’ Support for Nuclear Power Soars to Highest Level in a Decade

    By Akielly Hu

    A Gallup survey released in late April found that 55 percent of U.S. adults support the use of nuclear power. That’s up four percentage points from last year and reflects the highest level of public support for nuclear energy use in electricity since 2012. As the country looks to decarbonize, the popularity of nuclear continues to climb.

  • NUCLEAR POWERSustaining U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Could be Key to Decarbonization

    By Jesenia Hernandez

    Nuclear power is the single largest source of carbon-free energy in the United States and currently provides nearly 20 percent of the nation’s electrical demand. New research sought to answer the question: Just how much do our existing nuclear reactors contribute to the mission of meeting the country’s climate goals, both now and if their operating licenses were extended?

  • NUCLEAR POWERShutting Down Nuclear Power Could Increase Air Pollution

    By Jennifer Chu

    Nearly 20 percent of today’s electricity in the United States comes from nuclear power. The U.S. has the largest nuclear fleet in the world, with 92 reactors scattered around the country. Many of these power plants have run for more than half a century and are approaching the end of their expected lifetimes. If reactors are retired, polluting energy sources that fill the gap could cause more than 5,000 premature deaths, researchers estimate.

  • CLIMATE CHALLENGES“Statistically Impossible” Heat Extremes Are Here: Study Identifies the Regions Mmost at Risk

    By Nicholas Leach

    In the summer of 2021, Canada’s all-time temperature record was smashed by almost 5℃. Its new record of 49.6℃ is hotter than anything ever recorded in Spain, Turkey or indeed anywhere in Europe. One of the most important questions when studying these extreme heatwaves is “how long do we have to wait until we experience another similarly intense event?”. This is a challenging question but, fortunately, there is a branch of statistics, called extreme value theory, that provides ways in which we can answer that exact question using past events.