How safe is this water? Lots of American hometowns have sewer pipes that drain stormwater from their streets and parking lots and deposit it in a stream, river or bay. And about 75 percent of Americans have municipal wastewater treatment facilities piping untreated sewage from our sinks and toilets. In order to dig once, not twice, many stormwater and wastewater pipes were laid together. Of course they were originally designed to keep the sewage and stormwater apart. But climate change has made many of these designs obsolete. Extreme single-day precipitation events, with growing frequency an ..read more

Buddy was usually silent, but often had a sense of urgency. Martin Luther King once told us We shall have to repent in this generation, not so much for the evil deeds of the wicked people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. He was speaking in 1967 about enacting protections for blacks in America. But those words characterize today’s efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions and build local protections against climate change. Most of us are silent. And at the wrong moment! Now is the time On November 5th, America’s efforts to fight the growth of climate change and its local dama ..read more

Buddy had few anxieties. A strong support group helped! More and more towns are taking local measures to control flooding, cool their residents, prevent drought, and adapt to other environmental dangers and costs. They’re creating physical resilience, and ClimateDog has described a dozen such protections in recent months. But more and more we’re finding that, beyond the dangers growing in our neighborhood, other risks are growing in our minds. Global warming is threatening the thinking, emotions, and happiness of millions. Symptoms of stress, anxiety, and grief are growing as we think about ..read more

Please! Can we move to a warmer climate! In my 2016 book Climate-Proof Your Personal Finances I asked Do you know a real estate agent personally?You might ask if she or he sees any signs of reduced demand in neighborhoods with some sort of water or drought risk - flooding, dropping well water, oceanfront. Although most agents don’t acknowledge this trend yet, I have talked to several who admit it’s already happening. Climate oblivion has been the natural condition among Realtors. After all, their inventory of properties for sale is likely to be devalued if local climate risks are considere ..read more

In 2012 Buddy helped organize this Energy Independence Day Expo. We had 70 local climate-related exhibitors. NOAA tells us this February 22% of the lower 48 states were experiencing drought. This is not just the usual suspects like Arizona and California. Low snowpack, decreasing soil moisture, and dry, warm weather have led to growing drought in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan and other normally wet states. With fewer hometowns across the country safe from occasional drought these days, it’s in their best interests for many to take steps to protect residents from water shortages. One of these ..read more

Buddy only encountered fire on birthdays. Many of us live in neighborhoods designed to retain some natural surroundings. These patches of trees, grasslands, and scrub can beautify the area and keep us feeling closer to nature, but global warming is quickly turning many of them into hazards. The US Fire Administration tells us that More than 60,000 communities lie in what is called the wildland-urban interface (WUI), and their risks of wildfire are growing.. Between 2002 and 2016, an average of over 3,000 structures per year were lost to WUI fires in the United States. Many more were ..read more

Is Buddy waiting for someone to blow away the leaves? Nah! Climate change is affecting the air we breathe, adding four major pollutants. Smoke Warmer, drier air is responsible for a big increase in wildfires, bringing smoke a thousand miles and more from the Western US and from Canada. Dust In some drought areas, stronger winds and drier soil add windblown dust to the air, increasing particulate pollution. Pollen Warmer temperatures signal plants to bloom earlier, extending and intensifying the pollen season. Asthma and hay fever have jumped nationally, largely driven by the changing climate ..read more

Water temperature was always important to Buddy. The tribal fishermen in the Pacific Northwest have watched their salmon harvest decline by more than 80% in the past decades. The impacts of climate change are sending the salmon toward extinction. One Indian tribe is suing the Environmental Protection Agency. The Swinomish people’s way of life and livelihoods, as well as protected Treaty rights, have been disrespected and disregarded for years. It is time for this to stop. Swinomish is always thinking about the next seven generations, and we hope this can help ensure there will be salmon in ..read more

Water temperature was always important to Buddy. The tribal fishermen in the Pacific Northwest have watched their salmon harvest decline by more than 80% in the past decades, The impacts of climate change are sending the salmon toward extirpation. One Indian tribe is suing the Environmental Protection Agency. The Swinomish people’s way of life and livelihoods, as well as protected Treaty rights, have been disrespected and disregarded for years. It is time for this to stop. . . Swinomish is always thinking about the next seven generations, and we hope this can help ensure there will be salmo ..read more

Sailing north from Florida, we never considered boat dogs a migrating species. Even as a kid I never thought about loving an animal. But one day we picked up Buddy. He was placed on my lap in the back seat and was driven to his new home with his new family. By the time we got out of the car, I was enraptured. Buddy is gone now, but I’ve developed an affection for another species, the hummingbirds that live around us. The Pacific Northwest is at the outermost end of their range, and many go south in the winter. Unbelievably millions of hummingbirds migrate to and from Mexico each year, about ..read more