Climate Adaptation at Home and on the Road

Hello! In cities like Miami and Phoenix, residents have always had to find ways to deal with the health challenges – and high electric bills – that come with living through hot summers. But thanks to climate change, those summer days are only getting hotter.

In response, local architects are embracing old school designs that can help buildings stay cool without cranking up the A/C. This week, we find out how South Florida architects are looking back to chickee huts and frontier cabins for inspiration.

– Nicolás Rivero, Climate Reporter, The Miami Herald

Reporting from Our Partners

Miami architect René Gonzalez stands next to an old tree that he incorporated into the design of the Prairie House, a Miami Beach home that features shade trees and a green roof among its many cooling techniques. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com

Miami Herald: Building to beat Florida’s heat: Going back to the past for cooler home designs

Cool building designs can keep people more comfortable during record-breaking summer heat waves. But they also promise to reduce the amount of electricity homes use for air conditioning while reducing the carbon emissions that are raising global temperatures.

Storm damaged homes, Credit: Photo by Kelly / Pexels

Word in Black: Thanks to Climate Change, it’s Pricier to Own a Home

Homeownership costs are rising on all fronts, from property taxes to down payments, to closing costs and mortgage insurance. However, those are not the only expenses involved. Homeowners insurance is another cost, and premiums are becoming unaffordable for some.

Richard Summers, a 30-year veteran in the long-haul trucking industry, stops to fill up his rig in Laramie, Wyo.

Wyoming Public Radio: The trucking industry is on a long, winding road to electrification

Trucking is a major contributor to climate change, and work is underway to electrify the massive vehicles that carry our goods. But it's a difficult road. This piece from the Mountain West News Bureau was also featured on Marketplace.

News from the Collab

A slide from Jesse Jenkins REPEAT project presention, showing jobs and investments from IRA climate legislation.

The Inflation Reduction Act at One Year: What's Worked, and What's Ahead

Princeton’s Jesse Jenkins Speaks to LMA Climate Collab Local Journalists on One Year of Historic Climate Legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act

From Our Science Partners

Climate Change in the American Mind is conducted jointly by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

SciLine: The lasting toll of hurricanes on communities

With the Southeast in the middle of hurricane season, our partner SciLine shared their briefing from 2022 on the damage to community services and infrastructure that remains long after the storm.

What we're reading

Solar panel shipments in the U.S. reached a record high last year, Marketplace reports
Civil Eats reports on food chain workers, threatened by climate change, demand labor protections
NPR explains the connection between hurricanes and climate change

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