Climate Change

FISCAL MONITOR: How to Mitigate Climate Change, IMF (2019)

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FISCAL MONITOR: How to Mitigate Climate Change, IMF (2019)

The projections included in this issue of the Fiscal Monitor are drawn from the same database used for the October 2019 World Economic Outlook and Global Financial Stability Report (and are referred to as “IMF staff projections”). Fiscal projections refer to the general government, unless otherwise indicated. Short-term projections are based on officially announced budgets, adjusted for differences between the national authorities and the IMF staff regarding macroeconomic assumptions. The medium-term fiscal projections incorporate policy measures that are judged by the IMF staff as likely to be implemented. For countries supported by an IMF arrangement, the medium-term projections are those under the arrangement. In cases in which the IMF staff has insufficient information to assess the authorities’ budget intentions and prospects for policy implementation, an unchanged cyclically adjusted primary balance is assumed, unless indicated otherwise. Details on the composition of the groups, as well as country-specific assumptions, can be found in the Methodological and Statistical Appendix

Climate Change

Federal Disaster Insurance – Senate Report – 1956

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Federal Disaster Insurance, Report of the Committee on Banking and Currency, United States Senate (January, 9 1956) – large file

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
UNITED STATES SENATE,
COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY,
November 30, 1955.
Hon. J. W. FULBRIGHT,
Chairman, Committee on Banking and Currency,
United States Senate, Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR FULBRIGHT:

At your direction, the staff has prepared background materials relating to consideration of a Federal disaster insurance program. Except for certain deletions and rearrangements, this compilation was made available to all members of the committee, in substantially its present form, at the beginning of the hearings on October 31, 1955. Since the study was intended to lay the groundwork for the initial phases of the committee’s inquiry, it does not generally include information developed during the hearings. Such data will be taken into account in future committee reports. Limitation of time has restricted the amount of detailed data included and has precluded a more complete analysis of the materials. While the scope of the study includes all natural and manmade disasters, emphasis has been placed on those for which insurance is not readily available (such as floods) and for which information was obtainable in a short period of time from public and private sources. From this committee’s own files came much of the material dealing with the problems of war damage–the result of considerable renewed attention given to this phase of the problem since 1950. The committee staff received fine cooperation from the Federal agencies, private organizations, and individuals that were requested to supply data. The materials included in this study were compiled and prepared by Mr. William F. McKenna, counsel of the committee. Mr. Donald L. Rogers, also counsel of the committee, prepared the chapter on natural disaster relief. The staff wishes gratefully to acknowledge the contributions of the various Government agencies, private organizations and individuals listed at the end of the study.

ROBERT A. WALLACE, Staff Director.

HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY UNITED STATES SENATE EIGHTY-FOURTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON BILLS TO PROVIDE INSURANCE AGAINST NATURAL AND MANMADE DISASTERS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES (1956) – Part I – large file

HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY UNITED STATES SENATE EIGHTY-FOURTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON BILLS TO PROVIDE INSURANCE AGAINST NATURAL AND MANMADE DISASTERS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES (1956) – Part II – large file

REMARKS OF SENATOR JOHN F. KENNEDY AT SENATE BANKING AND CURRENCY COMMITTEE HEARINGS ON FEDERAL DISASTER INSURANCE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, NOVEMBER 9, 1955

Climate modification, Geoengineering, Teaching Materials

Geoengineering Resources

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Geoengineering tag cloud

Holahan, R. & Kashwan, P., 2019. Disentangling the rhetoric of public goods from their externalities: The case of climate engineering. Global Transitions, 1, pp.132–140.

McLaren, D. et al., 2016. Public conceptions of justice in climate engineering: Evidence from secondary analysis of public deliberation. Global Environmental Change, 41, pp.64–73.

Why Hacking the Atmosphere Won’t Happen Any Time Soon

Michael Zürn & Stefan Schäfer, The paradox of climate engineering, 4 Global Policy 266–277 (2013).

 

Climate Change

Hurricanes Affecting the Coast of Texas from Galveston to Rio Grande – 1956

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Waves and high waters accompanying storms of hurricane intensity have periodically wreaked havoc along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States. Adequate, and economic, design of shore structures to prevent or mitigate this damage requires historical knowledge of past storms. This knowledge, although previously available, is scattered among many sources — requiring. therefore, a considerable amount of time to gather for use for any particular area. The present report represents a collection of available data on hurricanes reaching and passing inland over the Texas coast between Galveston and the Rio Grande, and certain conclusions as to frequency of occurrence derived therefrom.

This report was prepared by Dr. W. Armstrong Price, formerly Professor of Geological Oceanography at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and now a Consulting Geologist in Corpus Christi, Texas. The initial statistical studies were made by Dr. Price in connection with his consulting work for several oil companies; these were later revised, extended, and submitted to the Board for publication. The report is being published at this time in connection with the recently expanded responsibilities of the Corps of Engineers in hurricane damage prevention as outlined in Public Law 71 of the 84th Congress.

Price, W. Armstrong. Hurricanes affecting the coast of Texas from Galveston to Rio Grande. No. 78. US Beach Erosion Board, 1956.

Climate Change

Strategies to Address Climate Change Risk in Low- and Moderate-income Communities – San Francisco Fed

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This issue of the Community Development Innovation Review offers strategies that address climate change risk in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. As these communities begin to grapple with a changing environment, strategic investments can increase resiliency and support adaptation while simultaneously advancing community development priorities. The articles in this issue of the Review consider these investment opportunities from a diverse set of community, financial, economic, and academic perspectives.

Original link

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. 2019. “Strategies to Address Climate Change Risk in Low- and Moderate-Income Communities,” Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Development Innovation Review 2019-1. Available at https://doi.org/10.24148/cdir2019-01

Climate Change

NRDC – Going Under: Long Wait Times for Post-Flood Buyouts Leave Homeowners Underwater

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NRDC, Going Under: Long Wait Times for Post-Flood Buyouts Leave Homeowners Underwater (2019) (Original LInk)

Sea level rise and increased flooding are already affecting homes and communities across the United States. The hard truth is that these climate change impacts will make it increasingly difficult for people to stay in the places where they live today. Among the millions who could be displaced in the coming decades, many will need assistance to move to higher ground. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has funded thousands of voluntary buyouts, in which local or state governments purchase flood-damaged properties from willing sellers at pre-flood values and preserve the land as open space. However, FEMA’s current buyout programs already struggle to meet existing need, with years-long wait times that can make this option difficult to pursue and contribute to inequities in disaster recovery.

NRDC reviewed nearly 30 years of FEMA data on buyout funding and found that it takes a median of more than 5 years between a flood and the completion of a FEMA-funded buyout project. While every buyout project is different, one thing is clear: long wait times make buyouts less accessible, less equitable, and less effective for disaster mitigation and climate adaptation. Addressing this issue is essential to making FEMA-funded buyouts a more viable option as climate change increases flooding throughout the United States. This report describes approaches for improving the current system, as well as new buyout models that NRDC believes are worth exploring by FEMA, other federal agencies, and state and local governments.

Climate Change

The Private Flood Insurance Market

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Kousky, Carolyn, et al. “The emerging private residential flood insurance market in the United States.” Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center (2018).

Bakkensen, Laura A., and Lint Barrage. Flood Risk Belief Heterogeneity and Coastal Home Price Dynamics: Going Under Water?. No. w23854. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017.

Gibson, Matthew, Jamie T. Mullins, and Alison Hill. Climate risk and beliefs: Evidence from New York floodplains. No. 2019-02. 2019.

Kunreuther, Howard, et al. “Flood Risk and the US Housing Market.” Available at SSRN 3426638 (2019).

Collier, Benjamin L., and Marc A. Ragin. “The Influence of Sellers on Contract Choice: Evidence from Flood Insurance.” Journal of Risk and Insurance (2018).

Born, Patricia H., and Robert W. Klein. “Arguments on a Hybrid Privatization of the US Flood Insurance Program: A Debate Driven by Issues of Sustainability.” Review of Business 39.2 (2019): 36-66.

Wilson, Michael T., and Carolyn Kousky. “The Long Road to Adoption: How Long Does it Take to Adopt Updated County‐Level Flood Insurance Rate Maps?.” Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy (2019).

Climate Change

Qualified Immunity from Constitutional Torts

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Cleveland v. Bell , 5th Cir., No. 18-30968, 9/13/19

Prison nurse who ignored the deceased prisoner’s requests for medical care found to have qualified immunity from a 1983 claim. She did not show conscious indifference to his plight because she believed he did not need medical care:

“The Supreme Court has made clear that actual knowledge is an essential element of Plaintiffs’ burden, as mere negligence cannot establish a constitutional violation. Given the lack of evidence about Nurse Bell’s subjective awareness of a substantial risk of serious harm to Cleveland, Plaintiffs cannot show a constitutional violation at step one of the qualified-immunity analysis.” at 6, citations omitted.

Climate Change

2018 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2019 Outlook

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NOAA, 2018 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2019 Outlook, NOAA Technical Report NOS CO-OPS 090 (June 2019)

SUMMARY

NOAA tide gauges are measuring rapid changes across the entire severity-spectrum of coastal flood risk along U.S. coastlines due to RSL rise. The most noticeable impact of RSL rise is the increasing frequency of HTF (sometimes referred to as ‘nuisance’ or ‘sunny day’ flooding), which typically causes minor and disruptive impacts. However, within many rural and urban U.S. coastal communities, the cumulative effects of more HTF upon public-works systems, roads, first floors of businesses, and residences (among others) is becoming a serious problem. Because of this, communities need projections for ‘next year’ and for the coming decades for preparedness and planning purposes to respond to the growing RSL-related HTF threat.

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Climate Change

Global trends in climate change litigation: 2019 snapshot

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Setzer, Joana, and Rebecca Byrnes. “Global trends in climate change litigation: 2019 snapshot.” (2019).

Headline issues

• Climate change litigation continues to expand across jurisdictions as a tool to
strengthen climate action, though more evidence of its impact is needed.
• Climate change cases have been brought in at least 28 countries around the
world, and of the recorded cases more than three quarters have been filed in
the United States.
• Most defendants are governments but lawsuits are increasingly targeting the
highest greenhouse-gas-emitting companies.
• Climate change-related claims are also being pursued by investors, activist
shareholders, cities and states.
• Climate change litigation in low- and middle-income countries is growing in
quantity and importance.

Summary

Climate change litigation is increasingly viewed as a tool to influence policy
outcomes and corporate behaviour. Strategic cases are designed to press national
governments to be more ambitious on climate or to enforce existing legislation,
while cases against major emitters seek compensation for loss and damage.
Routine planning and regulatory cases are increasingly including climate change
arguments, exposing courts to climate science and climate-related arguments
even where incidental to the main claim.