Why home insurance rates are rising so fast across the US – climate change plays a big role

Insurers are raising rates quickly, and it’s not just in California and Florida. They’re often shrinking coverage at the same time.

Andrew J. Hoffman, Professor of Management & Organizations, Environment & Sustainability, and Sustainable Enterprise, University of Michigan • conversation
Sept. 24, 2024 • ~9 min

How researchers measure wildfire smoke exposure doesn’t capture long-term health effects − and hides racial disparities

Which is riskier for your health: a few days of very bad PM₂.₅ exposure or many more days of slightly bad exposure? Researchers developed new metrics to provide better answers.

Rachel Morello-Frosch, Professor of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley • conversation
Sept. 16, 2024 • ~9 min

What are the impacts of repeated wildfire and smoke exposure?

New research digs into the physical, mental, and economic impacts of repeated wildfires and smoke exposure.

UC Irvine • futurity
Aug. 29, 2024 • ~5 min

Urban wildfires disrupt streams and their tiny inhabitants − losing these insects is a warning of bigger water problems

After wildfires in California and Colorado cities, levels of harmful metals in the water jumped. Nature sent up a red flag.

Lauren Magliozzi, Researcher in Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Aug. 26, 2024 • ~10 min

Wildfires don’t just burn farmland − they can contaminate the water farmers use to irrigate crops and support livestock

Just like fires can contaminate municipal water systems by melting pipes, farms’ and ranches’ water supply systems are at risk. A first-of-its-kind study after the Maui fires explores the harms.

Andrew J. Whelton, Professor of Civil, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University • conversation
Aug. 13, 2024 • ~9 min

Why wildfires are getting more dangerous

The worst fires have doubled in frequency and intensity since 2003.

Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition • conversation
Aug. 7, 2024 • ~7 min

Forests destroyed by wildfires emit carbon long after the flames die – new study

Carbon loosed by a 2018 fire season in Sweden could take 40 years to return to trees and soil.

Julia Kelly, Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University • conversation
Aug. 5, 2024 • ~7 min

Wildfires can create their own weather, including tornado-like fire whirls − an atmospheric scientist explains how

Fire-produced thunderstorms and tornado-like fire whirls are more common than anyone realized, as high-resolution satellite images and data now show.

Kyle Hilburn, Research Scientist in Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University • conversation
Aug. 1, 2024 • ~7 min

Wildfires can create their own weather, further spreading the flames − an atmospheric scientist explains how

Fire-produced thunderstorms and tornado-like fire whirls are more common than anyone realized, as high-resolution satellite images and data now show.

Kyle Hilburn, Research Scientist in Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University • conversation
Aug. 1, 2024 • ~7 min

Trees don’t like to breathe wildfire smoke, either – and they’ll hold their breath to avoid it

An unplanned experiment when wildfire smoke rolled through Colorado shows how trees keep some of the smoke out.

Mj Riches, Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental and Atmospheric Science, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
July 30, 2024 • ~8 min

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