The Weekly: The Rising Costs of Severe Convective Storms
Several drivers are contributing to the rise in expensive severe convective storms: 1) population growth in high-risk areas; 2) non-resilient physical assets; and 3) rising building premiums.
The Adaptation Economy Thesis
Four convictions drive an evolving investment thesis in the adaptation economy: 1) The adaptation economy is large and growing; 2) Resilience makes for more durable investments; 3) Investors see predictable growth and opportunity in the adaptation economy; 4) It’s still early and underserved.
The Federal Climate Retreat and Rise of a New Adaptation Ecosystem
The federal government's retreat from climate adaptation has created a gap in data, funding, and coordination, but a new decentralized ecosystem of nonprofits, state governments, and coalitions is stepping up to fill the void and may prove more resilient to political disruption in the long run.
Resilience Districts: Unlocking Tax-Increment Finance for Climate Adaptation
Resilience districts give local governments a new financing mechanism to fund climate adaptation, but their success depends on applying a forward-looking, risk-informed approach rather than defaulting to traditional bond financing logic.
Beyond Disasters: Home Catalogs as a National Housing Solution
The same principles that accelerate disaster recovery can address housing supply constraints, urban disinvestment, and affordability challenges in any market.
Latest
The Weekly: The Rising Costs of Severe Convective Storms
Several drivers are contributing to the rise in expensive severe convective storms: 1) population growth in high-risk areas; 2) non-resilient physical assets; and 3) rising building premiums.
Severe Storms: The Cost Drivers Making Them So Expensive
Population growth in areas prone to severe storms has increased asset exposure and the physical assets in harm's way are not designed to withstand high winds or hail. Meanwhile, building premiums to rebuild after severe storms are increasing.
The Weekly: The Investment Case for Climate Resilience
In this edition of The Weekly, we share a condensed version of a new article by Abby Ross, CEO of The Resiliency Company, on the four convictions underpinning the opportunities in the Adaptation Economy.
The Weekly: Resiliency Spotlight on the Non-Combustible Building System Fortifying 80 LA Homes
RSG 3-D's non-combustible panel system offers a financially competitive alternative to conventional construction that delivers wildfire, earthquake, and hurricane resilience.
The Weekly: What is a Resilience District?
As federal disaster support shrinks, resilience districts offer local governments a promising new financing tool to fund climate adaptation on their own terms.
The Weekly: Unaffordable Housing—A Hidden Driver of Wildfire Risk?
The housing affordability crisis and the wildfire crisis aren't distinct challenges. They're a self-reinforcing cycle that requires investing in resilience to break.
The Weekly: The Epicenter’s Three-Part Series on How Home Catalogs Can Drive Resilience
The Epicenter’s three-part home catalogs series from Alexis M. Pelosi and Robin Keegan describes how we arrived at the current moment and explores what it means for the future of housing after disasters and in communities facing disinvestment, outdated zoning, or housing supply constraints.
The Weekly: Winter Storm Fern Exposed Vulnerabilities in U.S. Water Infrastructure
The absence of references to climate change in utilities' bond disclosures suggests we have not systematically assessed how climate hazards could disrupt operations or revenues and, just as concerning, that they aren’t incorporating climate risk into capital planning and investment decisions.
Hazard briefings
The Weekly: The Rising Costs of Severe Convective Storms
Several drivers are contributing to the rise in expensive severe convective storms: 1) population growth in high-risk areas; 2) non-resilient physical assets; and 3) rising building premiums.
Severe Storms: The Cost Drivers Making Them So Expensive
Population growth in areas prone to severe storms has increased asset exposure and the physical assets in harm's way are not designed to withstand high winds or hail. Meanwhile, building premiums to rebuild after severe storms are increasing.
Preparing for Multiple Disasters
Unexpected disasters are causing damage in unlikely places, forcing decision-makers in the public and private sectors to prepare for the most common disasters in their region as well as the rare, once-in-a-hundred-year ones. But strategies exist to help decision-makers prepare for the unexpected.
Earthquakes: Cost Drivers and Opportunities to Fortify Assets
Across the U.S., the average annual total costs of earthquakes is $14.7 billion, with the average earthquake costing between $1.5 to $3 billion. Adopting the latest seismic resilience codes can make buildings more earthquake-resistant and financial instruments can help communities rebuild quickly.
Public finance
The Weekly: What is a Resilience District?
As federal disaster support shrinks, resilience districts offer local governments a promising new financing tool to fund climate adaptation on their own terms.
The Weekly: Winter Storm Fern Exposed Vulnerabilities in U.S. Water Infrastructure
The absence of references to climate change in utilities' bond disclosures suggests we have not systematically assessed how climate hazards could disrupt operations or revenues and, just as concerning, that they aren’t incorporating climate risk into capital planning and investment decisions.
The Weekly: The Risky Rise of State-Backed Reinsurance
Property insurance markets across the U.S. are under strain as premiums rise and insurers pull back from high-risk regions. In response, a growing number of states are leaning on public and quasi-public reinsurance backstops.
The Weekly: When Rainy Day Funds Run Dry
Two trends are colliding in state finance offices: Emergency, or “rainy day,” funds are shrinking at the exact moment climate-related revenue losses are mounting.