Briefing Series: Living with Climate Change

Find out more about the briefings in this series below:

The polar vortex is an area of low-pressure, frigid air that usually exists around the North Pole. The polar vortex is held in place by the Earth’s rotation and temperature differences between the Arctic and mid-latitudes. Changes in temperature differences can make the polar vortex expand to more southern latitudes. While this phenomenon occurs naturally, climate change is expected to impact the frequency and severity of polar vortex events. Communities must consider adaptation strategies to avoid blackouts and improve overall home energy efficiency, as loss of power when temperatures are so low can become deadly—246 people died during the Texas polar vortex freeze in 2021, many from hypothermia. 

Panelists discussed the science behind the polar vortex and how the energy grid and other critical infrastructure can be made resilient to this threat.

Key Takeaways

• The polar vortex is an area of low pressure and cold air at both of the Earth’s poles. In the Northern Hemisphere, it tends to be much farther north than the jet stream, a strong river of wind that separates Arctic air to the north and much warmer air to the south. While the jet stream is present year-round, the polar vortex only occurs in winter. The polar vortex usually does not have much impact on weather beyond the poles, but occasionally the polar vortex becomes disrupted: when the jet stream moves south, cold air from the polar vortex can plunge farther south as well. This is what happened in February 2021.
• An area of the Arctic Ocean north of Scandinavia is experiencing strong, prolonged warming. This particular region is right under the polar vortex. Warming in this particular region is leading to more disruptions of the polar vortex, which is expected to cause more unusual winter weather around the Northern Hemisphere.
• Extreme cold disproportionately affects the most vulnerable people. People who face health issues during extreme cold events are typically not as well-resourced as those who do not. Wisconsin’s Office of Energy Innovation has been involved with the NAACP’s Just Energy Policies and Practices Action Toolkit to work to address this challenge.
• As described in the report, Hours of Safety in Cold Weather, building envelopes are an important component of resilience. A building envelope is the shell that separates the indoors from the outdoors and includes walls, the roof, windows, and doors. The report evaluates how different building envelopes perform in cold weather when the home has lost power.

Sea level rise is a unique challenge for coastal communities and for policymakers. How will impacts from sea level rise compound impacts from extreme storm events? What infrastructure and communities will be impacted over different time horizons? When should funding be allocated to rebuild or armor coastlines and what are alternative options? What are the strengths and limitations of nature-based solutions for coastal resilience to sea level rise?

Panelists discussed these questions and highlight policy ideas and solutions that could start to shape a more robust U.S. response to sea level rise. 

Key Takeaways

• A 2020 Government Accountability Office report found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had helped rebuild 45,000-50,000 homes between 2009-2019 following repetitive flood losses, and, at the same time, 64,101 properties became new repetitive flood loss properties. We are not doing enough to help property owners prevent repetitive flood loss. It is important to stop the number of repetitive flood loss properties from growing by using buyouts and not building new developments in flood-prone areas.
• The interagency 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report predicts that the United States should expect, on average, 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise by 2050 and most likely greater than two feet by 2100. There will be variability across coastal locations. In the next 30 years, there will be as much sea level rise as we have seen in the past century.
• Sea level rise has many legal impacts at the federal, state, and local levels. There are six main categories of legal issues related to sea level rise: property use, constitutional takings, insurance, water supplies, building codes, and public health.
• The White House published the Compendium of Federal Nature-Based Resources for Coastal Communities, States, Tribes, and Territories in April 2022, which outlines resilience resources from across more than 10 federal agencies.

This briefing is on policies and practices to address wildfires. Billions of dollars are spent fighting wildfires every year, and the cascading economic, health, and societal impacts of wildfires are enormous. Compounding these challenges, wildfires also release greenhouse gases and harmful aerosols into the atmosphere. Over the last century, battling wildfires after they have started has been the main approach to address this threat. Yet, with record-setting fire seasons happening almost every year, more proactive and preventative steps are needed. 

Panelists discussed policies and practices that would allow the United States to reduce the overall risk of wildfires, including how innovations in community-centered wildfire protection can improve resilience for humans and ecosystems. 

Key Takeaways

• Wildfires are a natural part of ecosystems, but human actions have changed the frequency, severity, and size of wildfires.
• Looking at federal funding for disasters overall, the supplemental appropriations required for U.S. disaster relief far outpace the budgeted annual appropriations, indicating that the United States is underestimating disaster risk on an annual basis.
• States can set building codes and vegetation management guidelines to reduce wildfire risk and improve community resilience. At the local level, zoning ordinances, subdivision standards, and open space initiatives can integrate wildfire risks into community planning.
• Cultural burns are led by Indigenous people to restore or enhance culturally important species. They also address wildfire risk because risk reduction requires decreasing the fuel load on the land.
• The National Institute of Building Sciences and the Federal Emergency Management Agency find that for every dollar spent on upfront wildfire mitigation, there will be four dollars gained in long-term benefits.

This briefing is on policies and practices to address extreme heat. Across the country, the number of days per year with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit is increasing, and heat causes more deaths than any other type of weather event. In April 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the first Department of Labor program to protect workers from the impacts of extreme heat. Additional steps are needed to reduce the risk of dangerously hot conditions and increase community resilience to heat. 

Panelists discussed ways that built and natural infrastructure can reduce temperatures, steps to protect outdoor and warehouse workers, and how communities and cities are designing and implementing heat action plans.

Key Takeaways

• Heat is the top weather-related public health hazard in the United States. Extreme heat also impacts labor, energy and water usage, city landscapes, forest stress, built infrastructure, and energy systems.
• Not everyone is impacted by heat equally, contributing to an environmental justice issue in which vulnerable populations are disproportionately burdened. Older adults, children, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, and outdoor workers are especially vulnerable to extreme heat impacts. People who have experienced historic and systematic racism also face the greatest risk.
• By mid-century, the number of days with a heat index above 100 degrees Fahrenheit is projected to double nationwide and the number of days with a heat index above 105 degrees Fahrenheit is projected to quadruple, if greenhouse gas emission trends continue.
• The U.S. National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) is beginning to help build heat institutions and coordinate initiatives to address heat.

This briefing is on how the federal government as well as states and cities around the country can better incorporate equity into emergency management. Climate change is driving more frequent and severe impacts such as polar vortices, sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme heat, which were covered in EESI’s Living with Climate Change briefing series. When disaster strikes, underserved communities are often hit hardest and longest. Ensuring that equity is incorporated into all aspects of emergency management—from preparedness to response to recovery—creates more resilient communities that are better able to live with climate change.

Panelists discussed the steps that Congress can take to more comprehensively integrate equity into emergency management, including how to ensure that large federal investments such as the ones in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act do not cause harm to communities.

Key Takeaways

• Most emergency management should occur before disaster strikes. Pre-disaster funding and preparedness should be more equitable and focus on community-supported outcomes.
• There is a need to increase diversity among emergency management officials and decision makers while prioritizing equity and inclusion. By focusing funding on community-based organizations, it is easier to ensure that equity is prioritized.
• In order to better support tribes in disaster preparedness and climate adaptation, it is necessary to improve the process for state and federal tribe recognition. Some states do not have a process to recognize their state tribes. The federal process is costly, burdensome, and needs to be in alignment with the right for self-determination.
• Even if a tribe does not have federal recognition, the members of that tribe are still tax-paying U.S. citizens. This seems to be unaccounted for in much of federal policy. Many tribes do not see tax dollars invested back into their communities, especially in disaster response and recovery projects.
• Many times, information and resources are not available to communities that need them the most. There is a need for improved access and awareness of disaster mitigation, preparedness, and recovery funding opportunities.