About this book:

"Climate at Home" examines how climate change and extreme weather events are fundamentally reshaping American daily life, particularly concerning housing, migration, livelihoods, and local planning. The book moves beyond abstract climate science to explore the tangible impacts of phenomena like heat waves, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, droughts, smoke seasons, and severe winter storms on individual homes and communities across diverse regions of the U.S. It emphasizes that while weather is what we experience daily, climate is the long-term pattern setting the odds, and these odds are changing, rendering historical assumptions for infrastructure and planning obsolete.

The book details how different climate threats manifest at the household level, offering practical strategies for adaptation. For instance, it addresses "Heat at Home" by discussing urban heat islands and solutions like cool roofs and energy-efficient cooling, contrasting this with "Fire on the Doorstep," which focuses on defensible space, home hardening against embers, and the challenges of "smoke seasons" for indoor air quality. Chapters on "Water Rising" and "Wind and Water Together" tackle floods, storm surge, and hurricanes, highlighting the critical role of elevation, floodproofing, and the complexities of insurance and recovery. Drought in the West brings issues of water conservation and landscape adaptation, while "Winter Extremes" expose grid vulnerabilities and the dangers of prolonged power outages.

A significant theme throughout is the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable populations. The book delves into how "Renters, Owners, and Mobile Homes" face unequal risks due to housing type, financial capacity, and landlord incentives, exacerbating social inequities. It explores how financial instruments like "Insurance, Mortgages, and the Price of Risk" are recalibrating, leading to rising premiums and "insurance retreat" from high-risk areas, potentially trapping homeowners. "Work and Livelihoods" are shown to be increasingly climate-sensitive, affecting sectors from agriculture and fishing to construction and tourism. The resulting "Migration on the Move" highlights a new geography of internal population shifts driven by climate pushes and pulls.

Finally, "Climate at Home" looks toward systemic solutions and a hopeful path forward. It examines "Planning for Resilience" through updated zoning, managed retreat, and nature-based defenses like forests and wetlands. It highlights "Indigenous and Tribal Leadership in Adaptation," showcasing millennia of ecological knowledge and governance models for sustainable living. The book concludes by emphasizing that effective resilience requires integrating policy changes, community power, and individual preparedness. It calls for a just transition that prioritizes the most vulnerable, ensuring that homes remain safe sanctuaries in a volatile world through ongoing learning, innovation, and collective action across all levels of society.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Identifies key climate threats impacting American homes, from urban heat islands and wildfire smoke to hurricanes, floods, and droughts, using regional case studies to illustrate how weather patterns are changing.
• Explores the profound economic and financial shifts reshaping housing, including the rising costs of insurance and mortgages, and how risk is being re-evaluated by the financial sector.
• Highlights the deep social and economic inequalities, showing how low-income households, renters, and mobile home residents face disproportionate risks and barriers to adaptation.
• Details practical resilience strategies for individuals and communities, covering home retrofits, green infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and the creation of community resilience hubs.
• Advocates for systemic change through policy reform, zoning updates, and the integration of Indigenous knowledge, focusing on building long-term community power and a more just, resilient future.

Who's It For:

This book is essential for homeowners, renters, and local community leaders who are directly experiencing the daily impacts of climate change. It is particularly relevant for those living in regions prone to specific hazards like wildfires in the West, hurricanes on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, heat waves in urban centers, and droughts in the Southwest. The book provides crucial insights for policymakers, urban planners, and real estate professionals on the front lines of adapting housing, infrastructure, and financial systems to a new climate reality.