The world acted too late to avert climate catastrophes. Now the US effort to deal with them is struggling.
4 months, 4 weeks ago

The world acted too late to avert climate catastrophes. Now the US effort to deal with them is struggling.

Politico  

But the progress of launching this work has been slow: Through the end of September, 80 federal programs that received $24.4 billion of the climate resilience money had awarded just $10.3 billion of it, according to POLITICO’s review of spending data provided by agencies. The White House says its investments in climate resilience are “historic” — and described POLITICO’s findings as “incomplete.” As of Sept. 16, agencies have announced $23.6 billion in tentative awards among the climate resilience programs included in POLITICO’s analysis, to address needs such as preparing roads to withstand extreme weather, reducing flood risk and preventing wildfire, according to the federal tracking site Invest.gov. The infrastructure law provided an additional $8.7 billion for drought, dam safety and ocean programs not included in POLITICO’s totals that administration officials said will also contribute to the nation’s climate resilience. “All states — red, blue, purple and everywhere in between — are experiencing more frequent and severe impacts of climate change, and we are proud to have secured bipartisan legislation to help communities make long-term investments so they are protected from the harshest impacts of these events in the future,” deputy White House chief of staff Natalie Quillian said in a statement.

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History of this topic

Climate resilience funding: Experts call for blended finance and policy innovation
1 week, 3 days ago

Climate resilience funding: Experts call for blended finance and policy innovation

Firstpost  

Experts emphasised the urgent need to address the funding gap for climate adaptation and resilience, particularly in vulnerable regions. They also expressed optimism about the potential for innovative financing mechanisms and collective action to address the climate resilience gap, urging governments, investors and people to prioritise adaptation as a critical component of climate action. The Raisina Dialogue 2025 brought together …

How huge parts of the US could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’
1 month, 3 weeks ago

How huge parts of the US could become uninhabitable within decades — even so-called ‘climate havens’

The Independent  

The United States is no stranger to extreme weather, but the accelerating effects of climate change are pushing some regions closer to the brink of uninhabitability. That’s the conversation we need to be having.” open image in gallery A formerly sunken boat sits on cracked earth hundreds of feet from the shoreline of Lake Mead, a reservoir formed by the …

Trump-shaped climate disaster
2 months, 1 week ago

Trump-shaped climate disaster

Hindustan Times  

Contrast the visuals of a burning American city with those of the new American president, Donald Trump, signing an executive order withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate agreement minutes into his inauguration. Trump’s withdrawal from what he termed the “unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord rip-off” will take a year to materialise. Trump’s assault so far on US climate …

Trump has pledged to overturn Biden’s progress on climate change. What will that mean?
2 months, 1 week ago

Trump has pledged to overturn Biden’s progress on climate change. What will that mean?

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Newly sworn-in President Donald Trump pledged Monday to overturn climate-focused policy, promising once again to …

Opinion | Climate Activists Need to Radically Change Their Approach Under Trump
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Opinion | Climate Activists Need to Radically Change Their Approach Under Trump

New York Times  

Donald Trump’s return to Washington might seem like a terrifying moment for the fight against climate change. The incoming administration is not just hostile to the energy transition; it’s also expected to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, roll back a wide range of pollution regulations and promote domestic fossil fuel production — decisions likely to …

Climate-change colonialism keeps poor countries impoverished
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Climate-change colonialism keeps poor countries impoverished

Live Mint  

At the latest United Nations climate summit, developing nations slammed rich countries’ pledge to spend $300 billion annually on climate reparations as “crumbs." Members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development currently spend $223.7 billion a year trying to do good in poor countries through bilateral and multilateral aid and development spending. Advocates of green aid are right that …

Countries at COP29 urged to invest trillions to cope with climate change
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Countries at COP29 urged to invest trillions to cope with climate change

Al Jazeera  

Countries need to invest more than $6 trillion per year by 2030 to tackle the effects of climate change or risk having to pay more in the future, according to report by an independent panel of experts at a United Nations climate summit. “Investments in all areas of climate action must increase across all economies,” said the report published on …

A shadow ‘financial crisis’ has cost the world $2 trillion
4 months, 2 weeks ago

A shadow ‘financial crisis’ has cost the world $2 trillion

CNN  

CNN — Last month, two major storms, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, caused a total of between $51.5 billion and $81.5 billion of property damage, mostly to Southeastern US states, according to estimates from CoreLogic. The report from the International Chamber of Commerce, which comes as the United Nations Climate Change Conference begins in Azerbaijan this week, estimated that the …

What the Trump victory could mean for the climate crisis
4 months, 3 weeks ago

What the Trump victory could mean for the climate crisis

Hindustan Times  

With the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP29, fast approaching, the world’s attention is firmly set on the urgent need for unified action against the climate crisis. With Donald Trump reclaiming the White House in 2024, the United States ’ approach to climate policy may face another major shift, one that could impact not only American environmental efforts but global …

Flooding: A Global Crisis, a Collective Response
5 months ago

Flooding: A Global Crisis, a Collective Response

Hindustan Times  

The article highlights the devastating impact of flooding across multiple continents, emphasizing the role of climate change in exacerbating the intensity of extreme weather patterns. It showcases the resilience of South Asian and European nations in their disaster response, but also emphasizes the need for improved infrastructure and preparedness in vulnerable communities. The article emphasizes the importance of technology-driven early …

As the election nears, Biden pushes a slew of rules on the environment and other priorities
10 months ago

As the election nears, Biden pushes a slew of rules on the environment and other priorities

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — As he tries to secure his legacy, President Joe Biden has unleashed a flurry of election year rules on the environment and other topics, including a landmark regulation that would force coal-fired power plants to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. With the clock ticking toward Election Day, Biden’s administration has issued or proposed rules on a wide …

Biden’s next move on climate change could be a huge roll of the electoral dice
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Biden’s next move on climate change could be a huge roll of the electoral dice

The Independent  

Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, in a bid to grab the youth vote by highlighting his vast divide with former president Donald Trump on the issue of the climate crisis, is set to take on its biggest opponent yet next week – Big Electricity. After attacking the oil and gas industries last month with unprecedented new emissions rules, the Biden team …

Climate change concerns grow, but few think Biden’s climate law will help, an AP-NORC poll finds
11 months, 1 week ago

Climate change concerns grow, but few think Biden’s climate law will help, an AP-NORC poll finds

Associated Press  

Like many Americans, Ron Theusch is getting more worried about climate change. “It’s like, what’s our grandkids’ world going to be like?” A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 45% of adults in the United States say they have become more concerned about climate change over the past year, including roughly 6 in …

Climate-focused policies are key to building resilient infrastructure
1 year, 3 months ago

Climate-focused policies are key to building resilient infrastructure

Hindustan Times  

COP28 began on a positive note with the approval of the loss and damage fund. Lack thereof was evident from this year’s Delhi floods, caused in part due to jammed floodgates on the Yamuna barrage. India has also championed the establishment of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, which promotes climate action not only in India but also in many …

Wake up - America’s poorest are suffering most from the climate crisis
1 year, 4 months ago

Wake up - America’s poorest are suffering most from the climate crisis

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The United …

US legislators turn to Louisiana for experience on climate change impacts to infrastructure
1 year, 8 months ago

US legislators turn to Louisiana for experience on climate change impacts to infrastructure

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We’ve experienced significant devastation in our recent history …

US legislators turn to Louisiana for experience on climate change impacts to infrastructure
1 year, 8 months ago

US legislators turn to Louisiana for experience on climate change impacts to infrastructure

Associated Press  

— This summer — as blistering heat waves scorched the Southwest, wildfire smoke from Canada choked much of North America, a drought in the central U.S. devastated soybean and corn crops, and storms flooded parts of the Northeast — the perils of climate change weigh heavily across the country. “We’ve experienced significant devastation in our recent history — from hurricanes, …

Review of Vinod Thomas’s Risk and Resilience in the Era of Climate Change: Notes on averting a climate disaster
1 year, 9 months ago

Review of Vinod Thomas’s Risk and Resilience in the Era of Climate Change: Notes on averting a climate disaster

The Hindu  

Every national and State government is today confronted by the challenge of climate change, a phenomenon that defies electoral cycles and demands political consensus to prepare for a growing existential risk. All countries recognise the need to build resilience against the effects of global heating, but as Vinod Thomas, a visiting professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, …

Climate change could spur severe economic losses, Biden administration says
2 years ago

Climate change could spur severe economic losses, Biden administration says

Salon  

Climate change is generating major economic problems in the United States, the Biden administration said in an annual report published this week. The report "paints a clear-eyed picture of the challenges we face and the actions that the federal government can take if we are to grapple with the impacts of climate change that are already unavoidable," Rob Moore, a …

’Communities must be the subject of policy, infrastructure to build climate resilience’
2 years, 1 month ago

’Communities must be the subject of policy, infrastructure to build climate resilience’

The Hindu  

All infrastructure and policy developed to deal with the climate crisis will fail if communities become the object of pity, rather than the subject of interventions, Arunabha Ghosh, founder-CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, said on Saturday. Experts working in the climate space — including Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary in the Tamil Nadu Department of Environment, Climate Change, …

Biden Visits Storm-Ravaged California, Says It's Climate Change In Action
2 years, 2 months ago

Biden Visits Storm-Ravaged California, Says It's Climate Change In Action

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING President Joe Biden arrived in California’s Central Coast on Thursday to meet with some of the communities hammered by weeks of torrential rainfall, some of the most intense in the state’s history. “If anybody doubts the climate is changing, they must have been asleep for the last couple of years,” the president said Thursday from Aptos’ Seacliff …

Biden’s $369bn green plan was hailed as a triumph – but does it live up to the hype?
2 years, 2 months ago

Biden’s $369bn green plan was hailed as a triumph – but does it live up to the hype?

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “This bill is the biggest step forward on climate ever and it’s going to allow us to boldly take …

Cost-of-living crisis overshadows ‘unavoidable’ climate action
2 years, 2 months ago

Cost-of-living crisis overshadows ‘unavoidable’ climate action

Al Jazeera  

Rising cost of living, energy and food supply crunches, and heavy national debt threaten to thwart the collective will needed to address the climate crisis, new report says. Climate change is the global economy’s biggest long-term challenge but one the world is least prepared to tackle because of short-term problems led by a cost-of-living crisis, the World Economic Forum said …

US suffered 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2022
2 years, 2 months ago

US suffered 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2022

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The United States experienced 18 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2022 – the …

The Climate Struggle Literally Hit Home in 2022
2 years, 3 months ago

The Climate Struggle Literally Hit Home in 2022

Wired  

A year ago, I lambasted politicians for missing a huge opportunity for climate action. “I feel a lot more heartened about climate change now than I ever have,” says Jonathan Foley, executive director of the nonprofit Project Drawdown, which advocates for climate action. Like, Hey, wait a minute, things are really starting to pivot.” “2022 has proven to be a …

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Deal on climate, but hard decisions put off till 2023
2 years, 4 months ago

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Deal on climate, but hard decisions put off till 2023

Deccan Chronicle  

Hearing Gianni Infantino, Fifa’s Swiss-born ethnic Italian president, declare “I think for what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people”, millions of TV watchers worldwide may have wondered if it was the moment of truth, the epiphany that would erase the …

Effects Of Climate Change In The U.S. Already Terrible And Widespread, Report Finds
2 years, 4 months ago

Effects Of Climate Change In The U.S. Already Terrible And Widespread, Report Finds

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The effects of climate change in the United States are already “far-reaching” and getting worse, but there remains hope that a rapid transition to a net zero economy can stave off the worst impacts of a warmer world, according to a sweeping new report. “Americans are feeling the effects of climate change in their everyday lives, as …

Earth barrelling towards ‘uncharted territory of destruction,’ new climate report warns
2 years, 6 months ago

Earth barrelling towards ‘uncharted territory of destruction,’ new climate report warns

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The impact of climate change on the Earth is heading into “uncharted territory of destruction,” …

Column: Could extreme heat be just what California needs to finally solve homelessness?
2 years, 6 months ago

Column: Could extreme heat be just what California needs to finally solve homelessness?

LA Times  

Kim Burrell gives a bottle of water to Freddie Ramirez in Sacramento on Sept. 6. “These days are extreme examples of what is wrong and broken in the first place,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a longtime champion for a legal right to shelter and healthcare. “If extreme weather can help drive the change that is necessary, then let’s take …

Editorial: Climate change is an emergency. Biden should use his executive powers to do more
2 years, 7 months ago

Editorial: Climate change is an emergency. Biden should use his executive powers to do more

LA Times  

Last week’s unexpected Senate deal on a $369-billion climate spending package is bound to ease pressure on President Biden. Days earlier, when it looked like opposition from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin III had killed Biden’s climate agenda, the president vowed to take “strong executive action” if the Senate would not act. With congressional action now looking more likely, will …

With Manchin deal, talk of Biden's climate emergency declaration may be dead
2 years, 8 months ago

With Manchin deal, talk of Biden's climate emergency declaration may be dead

NPR  

With Manchin deal, talk of Biden's climate emergency declaration may be dead Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP Now that Sen. Joe Manchin has pledged support for legislation that includes significant new funding to fight climate change, talk of President Biden declaring a climate emergency may be over. Sponsor Message Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, …

US facing up to $2 trillion bill each year from climate crisis by 2100, says White House
2 years, 11 months ago

US facing up to $2 trillion bill each year from climate crisis by 2100, says White House

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Failing to take action on the climate crisis and surrendering to a worsening spiral of …

Technology Can Fix the Climate Mess—but Not Without Help
55 years, 2 months ago

Technology Can Fix the Climate Mess—but Not Without Help

Wired  

This morning, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change dropped its most contentious report yet. It is a file of shame cataloging the empty pledges that put us firmly on track toward an unlivable world.” He invoked climate catastrophes—“unprecedented heat waves, terrifying storms, widespread water shortages, the extinction of a million species of plants and animals”—and warned against those who …

US says $100 billion soon to help poor nations with climate
3 years ago

US says $100 billion soon to help poor nations with climate

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday he thinks rich countries can finally meet their pledge to provide $100 billion annually to help poor nations cope with climate change beginning this year — and will definitely reach that amount in 2023. Kerry told an informal U.N. Security Council meeting on “Climate Finance for Sustaining Peace and Security” …

Critics say infrastructure projects won't make a big enough impact on climate change
3 years, 2 months ago

Critics say infrastructure projects won't make a big enough impact on climate change

NPR  

Critics say infrastructure projects won't make a big enough impact on climate change As Washington gears up to dole out hundreds of billions of dollars in new infrastructure funds, critics say not enough will go to projects addressing climate change and issues of racial inequality. SPECK: It's not transformational in the way that it will cause us to live, to …

Editorial: Go narrow and deep. The three things the U.S. must accomplish in 2022
3 years, 2 months ago

Editorial: Go narrow and deep. The three things the U.S. must accomplish in 2022

LA Times  

Our nation has waffled on climate change or introduced only minor changes. Rising sea levels threaten populations in low-lying coastal areas across the world — it’s already felt in Africa, according to a Nigerian climate report — and large-scale resettlement of those people would almost certainly lead to widespread famine and political destabilization. It contains $555 billion to incentivize renewable …

2021 Was a Huge Missed Opportunity on Climate Action
3 years, 3 months ago

2021 Was a Huge Missed Opportunity on Climate Action

Wired  

Just like that, a pandemic-fueled glimpse of a better world is growing hazy—or smoggy, to be more precise. “What we witnessed was more or less one year of emissions decline that would help put us on a reasonable trajectory,” says environmental economist Mark Paul of the New College of Florida. “But there was also tremendous pain for tens of millions …

With the loss of Manchin's vote, Biden's climate change agenda may be doomed
3 years, 3 months ago

With the loss of Manchin's vote, Biden's climate change agenda may be doomed

NPR  

With the loss of Manchin's vote, Biden's climate change agenda may be doomed ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: With the U.S. Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, the White House could not afford to lose even one Democratic senator to advance its major social spending and climate change legislation. SHAPIRO: West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin told "Fox News Sunday" he couldn't …

Infrastructure Package Is Now The Law. What Happens Next? : Consider This from NPR : NPR
3 years, 3 months ago

Infrastructure Package Is Now The Law. What Happens Next? : Consider This from NPR : NPR

NPR  

President Biden Signed A Massive, Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Enlarge this image toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Justin Sullivan/Getty Images After years of jokes about unsuccessful Infrastructure Weeks, months of deliberation, and bouts of gridlock on the political left, a $1.2 trillion package made its way through Congress at long last. NPR's White House Correspondent Franco Ordonez followed President Biden around …

Editorial: Biden makes a trillion-dollar investment in America’s future
3 years, 4 months ago

Editorial: Biden makes a trillion-dollar investment in America’s future

LA Times  

Finally, “Infrastructure Week” is no longer a punchline. As President Biden signed the $1.2-trillion bill into law Monday, he kicked off the biggest spending program in more than a decade to build and rebuild the nation’s essential infrastructure. The U.S. has consistently underfunded infrastructure over the last half-century, and that’s created a backlog of work to keep existing transportation, water …

Folks, the Infrastructure Bill Is Way Better Than You Realize
55 years, 2 months ago

Folks, the Infrastructure Bill Is Way Better Than You Realize

Slate  

After decades of broken promises, and then years of Trump-era memes riffing on those broken promises, the United States has finally hit a long-elusive milestone: It’s really, actually infrastructure week. On Friday night, the House of Representatives passed the mammoth hard infrastructure and climate bill known generally as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, or BIF, after a concession from progressives who’d …

Biden claims historic progress on climate efforts at summit
3 years, 4 months ago

Biden claims historic progress on climate efforts at summit

Associated Press  

GLASGOW, Scotland — President Joe Biden argued Tuesday that historic progress on addressing global warming was achieved at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, and expressed optimism for a similar outcome in Washington, where his legislative agenda has been stalled by intra-party disagreements. “I can’t think of any two days where more has been accomplished on climate than these …

New framework bolsters Biden’s hand as climate summit begins
3 years, 4 months ago

New framework bolsters Biden’s hand as climate summit begins

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden heads to a United Nations climate conference Monday energized by a new legislative framework that, if enacted, would be the largest action ever taken by the United States to address climate change. Biden called the plan “the most significant investment to deal with the climate crisis that ever happened, beyond any other advanced nation in …

UN, US officials urge action to avert climate disaster
3 years, 5 months ago

UN, US officials urge action to avert climate disaster

Associated Press  

BERLIN — The U.N.'s top human rights official and U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy called Thursday for countries to step up the fight against global warming, describing it as an issue of sheer survival for humankind. In a statement ahead of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, the global body’s High Commissioner for Human Rights said “only urgent, priority …

‘No country will be spared’ impact of climate change: US gov’t
3 years, 5 months ago

‘No country will be spared’ impact of climate change: US gov’t

Al Jazeera  

Reports by US White House, defence and intelligence agencies say climate change likely to increase global instability. “We assess that climate change will increasingly exacerbate risks to US national security interests as the physical impacts increase and geopolitical tensions mount about how to respond to the challenge,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in the first-ever National …

‘No country will be spared’ from effects of climate change, Biden administration reports detail
3 years, 5 months ago

‘No country will be spared’ from effects of climate change, Biden administration reports detail

CNN  

CNN — A series of new reports from the Biden administration will issue a stark warning on Thursday: The effects of climate change will be wide-reaching and will pose problems for every government. “No country will be spared from the challenges directly related to climate change,” a senior administration official told reporters in a call previewing the reports. “The Intelligence …

On climate change, Biden $3.5T plan making up for lost time
3 years, 6 months ago

On climate change, Biden $3.5T plan making up for lost time

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden visited one disaster site after another this summer — from California wildfires to hurricane-induced flooding in Louisiana and New York — he said climate change is “everybody’s crisis” and America must get serious about the “code red” danger posed by global warming. “This is a ‘code red’ moment, but Democrats are answering the call,’’ …

Biden pushes to combat climate crisis while surveying wildfire damage in Western US
3 years, 6 months ago

Biden pushes to combat climate crisis while surveying wildfire damage in Western US

CNN  

CNN — President Joe Biden surveyed wildfire damage in the Western US on Monday, using nearly every stop on his trip to illustrate how recent extreme weather events underscore the urgency of his economic agenda and its investments in the nation’s infrastructure. At Sacramento Mather Airport, the President delivered a speech on his administration’s response to the fires, describing how …

Biden administration asks for billions in ‘urgent’ disaster and refugee funding in request to keep government running
3 years, 6 months ago

Biden administration asks for billions in ‘urgent’ disaster and refugee funding in request to keep government running

CNN  

CNN — The Biden administration is asking for billions of dollars for “urgent” extreme weather recovery efforts and the resettlement of Afghan refugees in its proposal to keep the government funded past September 30. “President Biden knows whose side he’s on: the backbone of this country, the middle class.” The memo comes as White House officials have worked feverishly to …

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