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Pedestrians walking past the U.S. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Ends Chevron Deference—What Now?

ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine
For one, the ability of federal agencies like the EPA to set rules and enforce environmental protections now shrinks.
An illustration of two people lying down on grass surrounded by flowers on one side and litter on the other, with one person holding a ladybug in their hands

It’s Time to Talk about Climate Anxiety

ExplainerUnited StatesJenny Shalant
Don’t bottle it up—openly acknowledging your climate anxiety and grief gives you the power to heal and move forward.
A brightly colored illustration showing a green hydrogen hub. A container ship on a waterway and a hydrogen production and storage facility are in the foreground, a solar panel array and wind turbines are in the mid-ground, and a city and sunset sky are in the distance.

Can Hydrogen Help Combat the Climate Crisis?

ExplainerUnited StatesSusan Cosier
Hydrogen hubs across the country seek to fuel high-emission industries with cleaner energy.

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FEMA Takes on COVID-19

Expert BlogJoel Scata
The COVID-19 pandemic’s unprecedented scale of economic, health, and social impacts in the United States has challenged traditional disaster management, requiring unconventional application of federal disaster laws.

ABA Article Calls for a Federal Flood Protection Standard

Expert BlogJoel Scata
In A Rising Tide Lifts All Damage Costs: The Need for a Federal Flood Protection Standard, a new article in the Spring edition of American Bar Association’s environmental law magazine, the threat to America’s public infrastructure from more frequent and…

House NDAA Would Help Dept. of Defense to Be Climate Ready

Expert BlogJoel Scata
On July 10, the House approved two amendments to the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would help the Department of Defense (DoD) prepare and adapt to the impacts of the climate change.

Financial Services Committee Passes Flood Insurance Reform

Expert BlogJoel Scata
Today, the House Committee on Financial Services passed a bill with wide bipartisan support to move the NFIP towards meeting the challenge of better protecting the nation from the realities of climate change.

Congress Extends Flood Insurance Program for Eleventh Time

Expert BlogJoel Scata
For the eleventh time since September 2017, Congress has extended the deeply in-debt National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) without reform. In the interim, five named hurricanes and multiple catastrophic floods, including the ongoing crisis in the Midwest, have wreaked devastation…

Changing the Flood Insurance Program for a Changing Climate

Expert BlogJoel Scata
The NFIP, given its influence over floodplain development, is inextricably linked to the nation’s ability to confront its growing flood risk. However, the NFIP, as currently structured, is ill prepared to face this threat. A new article written by NRDC…

Missing from the Senate Disaster Aid Package: Puerto Rico

Expert BlogMekela Panditharatne, Joel Scata
Hurricane Maria—according to official estimates by Puerto Rico—claimed nearly 3,000 lives, precipitating housing and health crises, and exposing key vulnerabilities in the island's water and energy infrastructure.

We’re “Sleepwalking into Catastrophe” Over Climate Inaction

Expert BlogJoel Scata
Climate-related risks dominated as the top global risks in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2019—for a third year in a row. The threat has become so severe that the authors of the report were compelled to state: “of…

A New Congress and a New Hope for Flood Insurance Reform

Expert BlogJoel Scata
The 116th Congress, divided between a Democrat-controlled House and a Republican-controlled Senate, will more than likely continue to be driven by party rivalry, but reforming the broken National Flood Insurance Program could, and should, be one area where bipartisanship is…

Climate Report Proves Need for A Flood Protection Standard

Expert BlogJoel Scata
Per the Fourth National Climate Assessment, extreme flooding events are expected to become more frequent and intense due to climate change, causing substantial losses to infrastructure and property and impeding economic growth. Enacting a new federal flood protection standard could…

Home Buyers Face Stacked Deck to Learn of Past Floods

Expert BlogJoel Scata
In 21 states, there are no statutory or regulatory requirements that a seller disclose a property’s history of flood damages to a buyer. Sellers are also not required to disclose whether the property is located in a floodplain. The other…

Hurricane Season Starts Without Flood Insurance Reforms

Expert BlogJoel Scata
Hurricane season has officially started, and if this year’s season causes anywhere close to the level of damage wrought by the last, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will be pushed well beyond the breaking point. The NFIP is in…

Flood Insurance Subsidies Must Include Options to Lower Risk

Expert BlogJoel Scata
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released a report describing how the federal flood insurance program could be reformed to provide low-income households affordable options for insurance coverage. However, flood insurance does nothing to help a homeowner avoid flooding…

After Disaster-Filled 2017, Congress Invests in Preparedness

Expert BlogJoel Scata
Congress has passed a massive, bipartisan budget bill that includes provisions to make the nation safer, stronger, and more secure in the face of worsening catastrophic storms and natural disasters. Hopefully, Congress’s actions are a down payment on a long-term…

FEMA’s Disaster Preparedness Plan Is a Disaster for the U.S.

Expert BlogJoel Scata
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the federal agency primarily responsible for funding community rebuilding in the aftermath of a large-scale disasters, has removed any reference to climate change, including sea level rise and extreme weather, from its just-released strategic…

WH Infrastructure Plan Could Have a Costly Maintenance Bill

Expert BlogJoel Scata
President Trump’s Infrastructure plan, promoted as providing the American public with 21st century roads, railways, airports, and drinking water facilities, utterly fails to ensure that such infrastructure is built for a 21st century climate.