US Seeds Climate Resilience Centers, a National Heat Strategy, and More

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Today in Climate Proof:

Finance:

• US ‘Climate Resilience Centers’ Awarded US$10mn

• UK Insurance Payouts Hit Seven-Year High

Policy:

• US Launches National Heat Strategy

• Top UN Court Advances Climate Obligations Case

• US Lawmakers Challenge Insurance Cops on Climate Risks

Tech:

• UK County Trials Flood Warning System

• Roll Up, Roll Up, for Climate AI Innovation Grants

Research:

• Another round-up of papers and journal articles on all things climate adaptation

US ‘Climate Resilience Centers’ Awarded US$10mn

Communities in Missouri, Michigan, Texas, and seven other states are sharing US$10mn to seed Climate Resilience Centers (CRCs) that will bring scientists, engineers, and other experts together to advance research on climate shocks and develop climate-proofing strategies.

The funds are being allocated by the Department of Energy (DoE) as part of the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which obliges agencies to ensure 40% of the benefits of certain federal projects go to under-invested and over-polluted communities.

In St. Louis, Missouri, one CRC will work on building regional resilience to urban heat islands. Another center in Texas will focus on adapting and planning for climate extremes, including water-related threats that are blighting communities in the Texas Coastal Bend. Meanwhile in New York, a center led by City College of New York City will focus on translating climate data into helpful tools that improve New York City residents’ resilience to shocks like extreme heat.

Each center will leverage DoE climate data, models, and research capabilities as part of their efforts. The CRCs are led by universities and colleges that enroll a large share of students from minority groups and spend less than US$50mn on federal research projects — the idea being that the institutions and the people they serve could be disproportionately benefited by the DoE funds.

UK Insurance Payouts Hit Seven-Year High

Climate-related disasters forced UK insurers to pay out £1.4bn (US$1.8bn) in property claims over the three months to end-June — the highest quarterly total since at least 2017.

The finding by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) comes against a backdrop of extreme weather events, including Storm Kathleen in April, which contributed to a series of floods in West Sussex, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight, among other places.

The ABI has been tracking claims data for seven years. Last quarter’s total exceeded the Q1 2024 amount by 5%, and the Q2 2023 total by a whopping 79%. The average payout per home insurance claim last quarter was £5,284 (US$6,840), up 16% on the previous quarter.

It was also the fifth quarter in a row that weather-related claims exceeded £100mn (US$129mn).

Premium payments for home insurance also surged over the quarter. The average price rose to £396 (US$513), up 6%. Still, this is not keeping pace with insurer payouts. Accounting firm EY predicts home insurers will suffer losses this year, after a record loss-making year in 2022, and another predicted for 2023.

Other Stuff

New Zealand invests NZ$6.2mn in Marshall Islands climate resilience (beehive.gov)

US National Science Foundation awards US$5mn grant to engage Indigenous communities in climate change research (Penn State)

World Bank prices $225mn bond linked to Amazon reforestation (Reuters)

Blue bonds gain ground in LatAm as climate finance solution (Latin Finance)

US leads the way in climate-tech funding, as China falls behind (Bloomberg)

Climate change adaptation and disaster risk management: current practices and future perspectives for the insurance industry (Ping An)

US Launches National Heat Strategy

Federal agencies launched a National Heat Strategy that aims to protect the health of Americans and promote economic and social well-being in the face of escalating extreme heat events. 

The 37-page blueprint for “a thriving, heat-resilient nation” features 118 recommended actions for hardening the US against heat-related risks up to 2030. They are organized across four goals: one, enhancing communication of heat risks; two, advancing heat science; three, improving access to heat information, services, and solutions; and four, supporting inter-agency networks focused on heat.

On the first goal, the strategy urges engagement with governments and communities on heat impacts and potential solutions. It also recommends using tailored messaging to raise awareness of acute and chronic term heat-related health risks.

In support of the second goal, the strategy calls for more equitable, accessible, and interconnected funding opportunities for heat research. Experts should also conduct research on “heat-related lived experiences”, and “heat reduction solutions in the built environment” — like cool clothing and the provision of shade and water. There are further recommendations on health-related research and on quantifying the current and projected impacts on the economy, infrastructure, and food systems.

On the “solutions” goal, the strategy calls for the heat.gov domain to act as a centralized heat risk data hub that can be used to build resilience. There is a recommendation on conducting “national-level assessments” of heat risk, and another on supporting the creation of heat action plans. The strategy also lists a series of actions on developing heat event early warning systems, enhancing safety measures, and protecting infrastructure and ecosystems.

In support of the fourth goal, the strategy recommends that the existing cross-agency National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) become more tightly integrated with other federal initiatives. It also calls on government to provide the organization with a larger staff and supportive infrastructure.

The strategy was put together by 31 federal agencies and initiatives, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

Some of these agencies are already taking actions in line with the strategy. Last week, the NOAA announced that US$200,000 would be shared by up to 10 communities to develop “heat tabletop exercises” — simulated emergency drills designed to test emergency heat response efforts.

Experts welcomed the strategy. “Federal leadership is crucial for addressing the growing impacts of extreme heat on vulnerable populations across the United States,” said Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. “This report represents years of dedicated work by NIHHIS and its partners. They have developed a sound, evidence-based strategy that can be implemented with the right resources.” 

Top UN Court Advances Climate Obligations Case

The UN’s highest court will hold public hearings on the duty of countries to fight climate change starting December 2.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announcement heralds the next phase of a long-running effort by the UN to prompt member states to take stronger climate action. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution last year requesting the court provide an “advisory opinion” on the question of states’ obligations to “ensure the protection of the climate system” from human-induced warming. It also asked for an opinion on the legal consequences to states that fail to act, with particular regard to the fate of climate-vulnerable countries and to present and future generations affected by climate shocks.

Advisory opinions are intended to clarify points of international law. While non-binding on member states, these opinions count as authoritative legal documents and add moral weight to international calls for action.

Notably, the UN’s request frames states’ obligations as a human rights issue — similar to recent legal actions brought in the UK and Switzerland.

The ICJ said 62 nations and organizations had submitted written statements on the case. These can be made public at the court’s discretion.

While the substance of the hearing concerns countries’ responsibilities to protect the climate from greenhouse gas emissions, the outcome could have knock-on effects for international adaptation and resilience efforts. For example, the resulting opinion could be used to incentivize high-emitting countries to pay more into adaptation and loss and damage funds as a way to honor their obligations.

US Lawmakers Challenge Insurance Cops on Climate Risks

Three Democratic lawmakers want state insurance regulators to close gaps on climate-related risk management. 

In an August 12 letter, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), Representative Sean Casten (D-Il), and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to update Congress on its efforts to integrate climate risks into US insurance supervision and regulation.

The letter referenced 20 climate-related recommendations made by the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) in 2023, 18 of which are relevant to the NAIC. Among these, the FIO recommends that the association enhance its annual Climate Risk Disclosure Survey to include “more prescriptive elements”, conduct more post-disaster surveys to assess the claims resolution process, and incorporate climate-related risks in future industry-wide risk assessments.

“[W]e ask that you please share, by no later than August 26, 2024, what the NAIC has done, or what it plans to do, to implement the FIO’s recommendations, or to otherwise strengthen insurance supervision and regulation to better address climate-related financial risks,” the letter reads.

In March, the NAIC adopted a National Climate Resilience Strategy, committing the organization to create new resilience tools, lobby public authorities on “pre-disaster mitigation funding”, and roll out climate scenario analysis resources to state regulators. Some of these actions touch on the FIO’s recommendations. The lawmakers did not reference the NAIC strategy in their letter.

The communication comes against a backdrop of devastating climate shocks to the US. Consultancy WTW notes that it has already been “an extremely active year for severe convective storms”, with a high number of hail storms and wind storms leading to widespread physical and financial damage.

Other Stuff

New Zealand Climate Change Commission’s first national adaptation plan monitoring report released (NZ Ministry for the Environment)

Europe’s southerners want Brussels to save them from climate change (Politico) 

Disaster-struck communities now have more time to apply for FEMA resilience grants (Smart Cities Dive)

US Transportation Secretary Buttigieg delivers keynote address at the 28th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit (US Department of Transportation)

In rural Alaska, FEMA partners with the native village of Kwigillingok to build climate resilience (FEMA)

UK County Trials Flood Warning System

A new flash flood early warning system is being tested in south-west England.

The system, which is part of the Devon Resilience Innovation Project (DRIP), will provide alerts to a small group of volunteers over the next few months in communities throughout the county. The hope is the warnings will give communities extra time to activate defenses before heavy rains hit. 

DRIP is funded out of a £150mn (US$195mn) pot provided by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs as part of its Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP). DRIP aims to complete a number of projects by its 2027 end date, including helping communities identify flood risk issues, developing emergency plans, and providing protection for community assets.

Roll Up, Roll Up, for Climate AI Innovation Grants

Want cash to fund your plan to use AI to support climate adaptation and mitigation? An academic network has you covered.

Climate Change AI is offering grants of up to US$150,000 for projects that leverage AI and machine learning to help solve knotty climate issues.

Projects have to be one year in duration, and led by a Principal Investigator at an accredited university. Part of the deal is that grantees publish a dataset or simulator created by “collating, labeling, and/or annotating existing data, and/or by collecting, simulating, or otherwise making available new data that can enable further research.”

Climate Change AI is looking for submissions across three tracks. A ‘Main Track’ is focused on addressing adaptation and/or mitigation issues — for example, societal adaptation to climate change, including disaster prediction, management, and relief in relevant sectors. A ‘Special Track on Methane’ asks for projects looking into methane reduction in energy, waste, and agricultural sectors. Finally, a ‘Special Track on Dataset Gap’ wants to see the production of new datasets that address current blind spots in collective climate knowledge.

The deadline for proposal submissions is September 15. Awards will be doled out from February next year.

Other Stuff

Australia’s science agency, CSIRO, calls for agritech startups with global ambitions (CSIRO)

India Prime Minister Modi introduces 109 varieties of climate-resilient crops (The Indian Express)

RESEARCH

Heat-related mortality in Europe during 2023 and the role of adaptation in protecting health (Nature Medicine)

Should we change the term we use for “climate change”? Evidence from a national US terminology experiment (Climatic Change)

Landslide triggering rainfall made more intense by human-induced climate change, devastating highly vulnerable communities in northern Kerala (World Weather Attribution)

Climate adaptation barriers and needs experienced by Northwest Coastal Tribes: key findings from Tribal listening sessions (Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative)

Their future, our action and the COMPASS Model: A New Approach to Finance in Commonwealth Small Island Developing States (The Commonwealth)

Extreme heat adaptation and mitigation programming: lessons from the affected population (southasiadisasters.net)

Climate change raised the odds of unprecedented wildfires in 2023-24 (University of East Anglia)

A Threat to Progress: Confronting the effects of climate change on child health and well-being (UNICEF)

Embracing Nature: climate change adaptation at The Wildlife Trusts (The Wildlife Trusts)

Rapid climate risk assessment: Marrakech, Morocco (Global Center on Adaptation)

Thanks for reading!

Louie Woodall
Editor