Climate Buildings
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![An aerial view shows muddy floodwaters surrounding a home and submerging cars in Stanwood, Washington on December 6, 2023 .]()
![An aerial view shows muddy floodwaters surrounding a home and submerging cars in Stanwood, Washington on December 6, 2023 .]()
The billion-dollar industry between you and FEMA’s flood insurance
Cutting payments to brokers, or selling policies directly to consumers, could save millions. FEMA and insurance companies say it’s not quite that straightforward.
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Illinois governor cancels migrant tent city on toxic land
It's a major win for activists who opposed the controversial project.
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![One man holds a tub of hempcrete and another man pushes it into place in a wooden building frame.]()
![One man holds a tub of hempcrete and another man pushes it into place in a wooden building frame.]()
The Lower Sioux in Minnesota need homes — so they are building them from hemp
The Indigenous nation will soon have the only facility to create hempcrete in the country.
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Biden administration launches ‘Earthshot’ effort to slash energy bills
The Department of Energy's new initiative aims to cut household energy bills by 20 percent and the cost of decarbonizing by 50 percent.
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![A long line of rickshaws pedals through the knee-deep waters of a flooded road in Bangladesh in September, 2023.]()
![A long line of rickshaws pedals through the knee-deep waters of a flooded road in Bangladesh in September, 2023.]()
Cities worldwide keep building in flood zones, despite mounting risks
"We invest in flood zones more than safe zones," says the author of a report that finds construction in such areas has jumped 122 percent.
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![Mold growing up a wall]()
![Mold growing up a wall]()
Detroit has a flood problem. It’s got an even bigger mold problem.
In Detroit, residents are battling persistent flooding and mold issues. Climate change is making it worse.
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![An electrician uncrates a heat pump system that is about to be installed behind a white house.]()
![An electrician uncrates a heat pump system that is about to be installed behind a white house.]()
A group of US governors promises to install 20 million heat pumps by 2030
And they want to put at least 40 percent of them in disadvantaged communities.
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![Two men carry a heat pump HVAC system.]()
![Two men carry a heat pump HVAC system.]()
Electrifying your home is about to get a lot cheaper
Rebates from the IRA could help low- and middle-income households save thousands on heat pumps, weatherstripping, and other efficiency improvements.
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Did big expectations doom the tiny house movement?
Tiny houses started as a minimalist revolution. They ended up as an Instagram aesthetic.
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![A mother holds a daughter in front of a fan on a street in New York City during a heat wave.]()
![A mother holds a daughter in front of a fan on a street in New York City during a heat wave.]()
Report: 41 million Americans are simmering on urban heat islands
New research says reducing paved surfaces and increasing green space could cool cities down.
