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This Is Hurricane Season in the Americas -- And Climate Change Discussions Will Accompany News Reports About the Super-Storms Coming Ashore All news/all the time -- that was the American television viewer's diet of content during the week long siege, with Hurricane Harvey sweeping ashore along the Gulf of Mexico areas of the State of Texas. And the plight of the people of the Houston region, in particular, was on everyone's mind as we watched the struggles of the residents there to stay safe and help their neighbors. As we watched, many of us from afar, this was the American Spirit at its very best, in such terrible times for Texans to remind us all of the traditions of neighbor-helping-neighbor. The public debate about the issues surrounding climate change (is it happening/what is the cause/what can be done) goes on, folks on both sides of the issue were cautious and sensitive about bringing the subject up in the midst of the suffering in Texas. But gradually, the debate centered on Harvey's effects came around to the point. And Florida, another U.S. state, was brought into focus by writers at The Guardian as writer Richard Luscombe (a free lancer based in Miami) reminded readers of perhaps one of the early canaries-in-the-coal-mine -- Hurricane Andrew almost 25 years ago to the day that the giant storm tore through Miami-Dade County -- and causing US$15 billion in insured losses. Professor Hugh Gladwin in the piece wondered: Will people base their real estate decisions on climate change futures? He sees higher-standing areas of booming Miami becoming gentrified as a result of sea level rise...and coastal areas threatened by flooding and storm surge will decrease in value. Writer Luscombe tells us that residents of South Florida are already buying houses in North Carolina and Tennessee -- to have a safe place to go as the seas rise in the Sunshine State! Climate Corporation (San Francisco) says that it will only take a few climatic events in a row for a collapse in regional/local real property values to fall. That could make the housing crisis of 2008 "look small." Luscombe writes that properties in Norfolk, Virginia; Annapolis, Maryland; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Savannah and Charleston, Georgia; and Miami Beach, Florida -- all have areas now where fish swim in driveways and people drive through salt water streets. As we've reported for you recently, the nation's urban leaders (the mayors of cities large and small) are already addressing the challenges of climate change and making their cities more resilient. As the TV coverage of Hurricane Harvey slows and we move on to the next news cycle, no doubt climate change discussions will increase in tempo. This is hurricane season, after all, and there is already a Category Five storm approaching the American coastlines. We can debate "when" it is appropriate to raise the issues surrounding climate change, and what to do about it. But we think it is a conversation that is necessary -- so in the end we should do our best to protect all of the U.S.A.'s coastal areas, where 2/3 of the American population reside. Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends and colleagues in Houston and the Texas and Louisiana coastal region. We should all pitch in to help -- neighbor-to-neighbor -- in any way that we can. What are your thoughts on all of this? Top Stories This Week... How climate change could turn US real estate prices upside down About Sustainability: Progress Is Being Made - We See Forward Momentum! Five technology trends defining the future of corporate sustainability Sustainability Reporting: A strategic opportunity for the Financial Reporting Council? Source: GreenBiz - Sustainability is no longer a status belonging to a select few — it’s a platform that anyone, even a landlord, can control on-site and in real time. Here are three PaaS solutions that are making people smarter and the world more... Sustainable Business Model Innovation Source: Institutional Asset Manager - Third-party ratings aimed at quantifying the overall “sustainability” of investment funds do not tell the whole story and should not be viewed in isolation, according to Kames Capital.
7 reasons we’re facing a global water crisis CEO pay: How much is too much? Brazilian court blocks abolition of vast Amazon reserve How America’s top 1 percent keeps getting richer
Shaw Industries, other carpetmakers move to more sustainable production Brewing a more Sustainable Future Tiffany & Co. Highlights Progress and Commitments in New Sustainability Report Source: Sustainable Brands - The Ford Motor Company has released its 18th annual Sustainability report detailing its environmental progress across the world and commitment to continued sustainability actions in the future. Coinciding with the release is a... Sustainability finance lessons, from Adidas to Starbucks Google, Exxon, Caterpillar ... Corporate America donates millions to Harvey relief Beer companies switch to canned water for Harvey victims 5 lessons learned from Amazon's first week with Whole Foods News & Opinion: Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds Kuwaiti Wealth Fund May Pull Billions From External Managers An Activist Investor’s Latest Tactic: Playing Nice Trump Administration News... Affecting Directions on Governance, Sustainability & Climate Change Trump kicks off tax reform pitch Hurricane Harvey - The Bigger Picture Harvey's Impact On The Energy Market Will Be Substantial Homeowners (and Taxpayers) Face Billions in Losses From Harvey Flooding Will Flooding In Texas Lead To More Mosquito-Borne Illness?
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