President Donald Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that he wants to "drive housing prices up." "Existing housing, people who own their homes, we're going to keep them wealthy. We're going to keep those prices up," Trump said.

An Executive Order from the White House issued yesterday aims to empower DHS Secretary, FEMA Administrator, and SBA Administrator to "preempt State or local permitting processes" in Los Angeles that unduly impede "the timely use of Federal emergency-relief funds". www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

New Paper! We deployed an advanced computer-vision model to segment satellite imagery of street intersections, in order to measure pedestrian crossing distance throughout the 100 largest U.S. cities. Out now, open-access in the Journal of Transport and Land Use: www.jtlu.org/index.php/jt...

“Despite this bit of good news, many housing challenges remain. The number of households experiencing worst case housing needs remains near record highs.” www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/worst-c... via @harvard-jchs.bsky.social

The US government lost more than 10,000 STEM PhDs last year, according to an analysis by Science of newly released OPM data, with 11 departures for every hire. And many OPM calls "voluntary" separations were probably pushed. www.science.org/content/arti...

Very exciting to share that @climatecentral.org is hiring a Climate Data Scientist to join a new climate services effort focused on advancing predictions of risks and hazards on seasonal-to-decadal timescales. The application closes on February 9, 2026 at 5pm ET, & the description can be found here:

Gleefully ran down the block this afternoon when I saw this delightful little workhorse clearing bike paths on Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, MA. Shoutout to @cambridgemass.bsky.social Department of Public Works 🙏❄️🚲

DHS (once again) announces conclusion (within 3 hours) without any investigation. - Conclusion about federal agent's intent - Conclusion about individual's intent - Implicit conclusion about timing of disarming the individual and shooting him

I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.

FEMA’s NFIP is an imperfect if instructive public option comparison case here. ~$23bn in debt even after $16bn in debt cancellation. Plus pendulum perpetually swinging back and forth between risk-based pricing (e.g., Biggert-Waters in 2012) and affordability (e.g., H.R. 3370 in 2014) objectives.

Did you know that NOAA has a categorical ranking system (1-5) for winter storms? It's called the Regional Snowfall Index (RSI): www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monit... Unlike the Saffir-Simpson or Enhanced Fujita scales, the RSI is attributed after an event and accounts for hazard AND societal impacts.

According to a May 2025 survey from @yaleclimatecomm.bsky.social and the George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication, 58% of surveyed Americans believe global warming has contributed to the rise in homeowners insurance costs at least "a little" (roughly a quarter believe "a lot").

Looks like NYC Council law 2026/023 has been "returned unsigned" by Mayor Mamdani, which is a de facto (if lukewarm) approval of the bill. The law will require that "owners of tenant-occupied buildings provide cooling systems capable of maintaining...(1/3) legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationD...

Where did the rule that people shouldn't spend more than 30% of their income on housing come from, and is it still relevant? @hannahgrabenstein.bsky.social @pbsnews.org talks to our managing director Chris Herbert & @hatethegamebook.com. youtu.be/QI8PUjxs0lo?...

The number of ICE agents and officers reportedly increased from 10k to 22k in the past year (est. 3k currently in the Twin Cities). ICE training times have been reduced from 16 to 8 weeks, and Spanish language + age requirements removed. www.dw.com/en/how-are-i... www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...

Canada will lower tariffs on some Chinese electric vehicles and China will do the same for Canadian canola products, a major shift in policy that was announced on Friday during a landmark state visit by Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada to Beijing.

Climate risk science's greatest project successes have come in part due to transparency and reusability. We show that at the paper-level, there is plenty of room for growth. We talk about why this matters, what researchers can do, and how the greatest progress requires institutional support

Made a pilgrimage to 2 ghosts of sea level past & future in Florida, from last time global temp was similar to today 120,000 years ago: an outcrop of oolite in Miami from when it was a sandy shoal under the waves, and in Windley Key a fossil coral reef that now ominously sits 20 feet above sea level

Neptune Flood (subsidiary of NYSE:NP) is actively working to privatize the NFIP. Company leadership has communicated their work and this goal, in line with Project 2025, to the White House. Privatization would have big implications for flood-prone communities. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/c...

I can't describe how bad Minneapolis feels right now. My neighbors are pulling kids out of school. The public schools are offering remote learning until 2/12. We are having conversations in our alleys about how to protect ourselves. It feels like a military occupation with a blockade.

The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred. It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become

New paper shows that measuring energy burden using gross income misses millions of households. When housing costs are accounted for (net income), ~4.7M more renter households show up as energy-burdened. Energy affordability = housing + income + energy. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New data paint a clearer picture of where the deepest cuts in the federal workforce have been. Total staffing changes from Nov. '24 to Nov. '25 according to the NYT analysis: HUD: 8,408➡️6,416 (-24%) FHFA: 760➡️521 (-31%) FEMA (in DHS): 25,376➡️22,368 (-12%) [1/2] www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

There were 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the US in 2025. And we only know this because @climatecentral.org hired the NOAA employee who led this vital tracking effort, which was decommissioned by the administration last spring.

The EO withdraws the US from the IPCC as well as 30+ United Nations organizations. Will be a massive blow to the global scientific community and international relations more broadly. This crude disengagement from global institutions will not serve US interests. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Informative pre/post photos and analysis of rebuilding permit data in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu one year after the LA fires. The # of people buying RVs, parking them on their lots, and living in them is an indicator of the considerable barriers (costs and permitting) to rebuilding.

The Trump admin & DHS Sec #Noem are continuing their ongoing assault on #FEMA with reports of major cuts to FEMA staff, which will put people’s lives and well-being at risk when disasters strike. Congress — we have a problem & oversight is needed ASAP. www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...

Five years ago today, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, assaulting police officers, calling for Mike Pence to be hanged and hunting for Nancy Pelosi as they tried to reverse a presidential election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...

Cool new paper in Environmental Research Letters by Melville-Rea et al., titled "Drawing the line: how levee accreditation shapes flood insurance winners and losers." Paper highlights material impacts (via insurance) of levee accreditation status in California. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Immigrants play a key role in the supply of homebuilding and remodeling labor and the recent slowdown in immigration could worsen chronic labor shortages and constrain the ability to build and remodel housing, writes @rickriordan.bsky.social. www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/homebui...

Very sad day for non-commercial and educational broadcasting in the US, particularly in rural communities. Informative writeup by the Congressional Research Service on the history and scope of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, first established in 1967: www.congress.gov/crs-product/...

Tide predictions for 2026 in southeast Florida feature two primary peaks centered on the new and full moons on October 10 and 26. Note that tide predictions are only astronomical/climatological in nature, and do not account for actual weather or ocean conditions which can be significant. [1/3] 🌊🧪

~110x the median home sale price in Florida according to Zillow data. A recent Forbes piece estimates an avg. homeowners insurance premium of ~$4.6k per year for $1 million in dwelling coverage ($1k deductible, $500k liability coverage) for high-value properties. www.forbes.com/advisor/home...

Our new paper projects the costs of sea level rise from increased U.S. mortality risk among the elderly w/ and w/out adaptation: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

South Korean RV ARAON is indeed the only ship in the world regularly visiting Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. US no longer has a dedicated Antarctic RV. ARAON headed south now, with Raymond Zhong (NYT) & Miles O’Brien @pbsnews.org on board documenting! Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/c...

Bob and I were among the hundreds of researchers that were supposed to conduct the 6th U.S. National Climate Assessment. Now it looks like they're gonna produce it with a few people and Grok? Communities need rigorous and accurate information about climate change. This will put communities at risk.

The Abundance movement often points to environmental groups as the obstacles to building. But who actually files the lawsuits blocking projects? It’s not environmental groups. It’s been lawyered-up HOAs protecting property values all along. Regulation by litigation is the problem.

NYC Council passes law that would require landlords to provide cooling systems capable of maintaining 78°F "in rooms in which tenants sleep, upon the request of the tenant." Cooling season would run from June 15 - September 15. Bill is currently on Mayor's desk waiting to be signed. (1/2)

A statement from @ametsoc.org on @ncar-ucar.bsky.social www.ametsoc.org/ams/about-am...

The Eaton fire killed 19. Now records show Edison didn’t complete massive safety upgrades it billed to customers on the lines suspected of sparking the fire

Excited to release our new paper today with my colleague @pjwhit.bsky.social. We examine what types of rural areas had the fastest home price appreciation in the pandemic era. 🧵 www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/home-pr...

The Trump administration said it will be dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, one of the world’s leading Earth science research institutions.

Employment growth since April ("Liberation Day"): United States: +119,000* Canada: +166,200 * The U.S. number is expected to be revised down.

New development regarding cancellation of BRIC funding. Billions of pre-disaster hazard mitigation dollars at stake for communities across the US. Still uncertain how the administration will respond to the judge’s restoration order. apnews.com/article/fema...

Early adopters of 'zone zero' fared better in L.A. County fires, insurance-backed investigation finds

New blog post on renters and property insurance. Many renters possess no property insurance whatsover, which can influence housing recovery after storms, fires, etc. In response to rising property insurance costs, many landlords have also raised rents and/or deferred maintenance. More in post 👇

This post gets to the heart of systemic questions raised by new Zillow + First Street climate risk score news. For years, floodplain management professionals (e.g., ASFPM) have highlighted a need for more funding and increased efficiencies in FEMA's FIRM...(1/6) www.floods.org/annual-legis...

Households face annual costs of roughly $400–$900 from climate change—mainly from disasters, higher insurance, and energy costs—with lower-income families and certain regions hit disproportionately, from @kclausing.bsky.social, Knittel, and @cwolfram.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w34525

“Since September, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore has hauled more than 400 truckloads of debris from fallen houses. The Park Service reaches out to homeowners to try and recover associated costs, not always successfully.”

Americans are being pushed into an impossible choice: affordable homes in high-risk flood and fire zones, or safe neighborhoods they can’t afford. It’s a collision of the #housingcrisis and climate change, and policy failures are driving it.