Media Tip Sheet: Washington Post Report: Most U.S. Cities Aren’t Prepared for Climate Change


November 20, 2024

WASHINGTON (November 20, 2024) – A report out today by The Washington Post finds most cities in the United States are not prepared for climate change.

Climate scientists predict that natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and sea level rise are going to intensify due to climate change, which have already been impacting homes, businesses and communities around the country. Scientists expect this impact to increase, as weather events multiply with other, smaller stressors. Resiliency will be key to adapting in the future.

Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, analysis and commentary. To speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].


Climate Change Adaptation

Lisa Benton-Short, a professor of geography, is an expert on urban sustainability, environmental issues in cities, and cities and immigration. Benton-Short can discuss the impact of climate change in amplifying natural disasters and the underlying forces at play that amplify the impacts of natural disasters. She can also speak to the steps that can be taken to help make cities and communities more resilient in the face of natural disasters, like hurricanes.

Housing, Insurance & Natural Disasters

Stephen O’Connor is a research professor of real estate at the GW School of Business and the chair of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis at GW. O’Connor has 30 plus years of professional real estate experience with a background in planning and public policy. O’Connor can discuss how climate change is impacting the insurance industry, how communities are adapting to disaster-prone areas (i.e., some towns are trying to change their zoning to encourage development in less-prone areas), and how other places are implementing buy-back strategies.

Environmental Law

Robert Glicksman, the J.B. and Maurice C Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law at GW is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on environmental, natural resources, and administrative law issues. Glicksman’s areas of expertise include environmental and natural resources law, along with others. Glicksman has consulted on various environmental and natural resources law issues, including work for the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Glicksman has published and been published in  numerous publications, including his most recent highlight in The Green Clash Between Renewables and Conservations.

Emily Hammond; Glen Earl Weston research professor at the GW Law School. Hammond is a nationally recognized expert in energy, environmental and administrative law. Prior to teaching, Hammond was an environmental engineer bringing fluency between the intersection of law, science and policy. Hammond has held a presidential appointment at the Department of Energy, where they served as Deputy General Counsel for Litigation, Regulation and Enforcement as well as Deputy General Counsel for Environment and Litigation.Hammond’s publications include legal analyses of CWA issues and peer-reviewed hydrological studies.

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