Stories from Joyce Coffee
Community Development
From Paris to Belém: What a Decade of Climate Negotiations Teaches Us About Adaptation
Ten years after the Paris Agreement, adaptation threaded through nearly every major debate at the United Nations climate talks in Brazil (COP30) last month, with local governments at the center.
December 5, 2025
Alternative Economies
Climate Change is Making the U.S. Affordable Housing Shortage Worse: Better Resilience Planning Can Help
Millions of Americans are caught in a collision between escalating climate hazards and the chronic shortage of housing that they can afford.
August 21, 2025
Community Development
Welcome a New Generation of Boomtowns: Climate-Ready Cities
As families and businesses relocate from areas prone to climate disasters, cities in milder climates that are thoughtfully preparing for an influx of new residents stand to benefit the most. In new research, Climate Resilience Consulting identifies the American cities with the promise to become future boomtowns.
April 29, 2025
Corporate Responsibility
Climate Resilience Takes Center Stage As Climate Impacts Intensify
Climate resilience — the ability to prepare for, recover from and adapt to the intensifying impacts of climate change — is gaining traction with governments and businesses, but to keep up with the escalating frequency and severity of extreme weather, the pace has to accelerate.
October 25, 2024
Energy
The Climate Science Behind Managing Disaster Risks
A growing number of companies are signing up with groups like the Science-Based Targets initiative and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures to manage their exposure to disaster risks and other climate challenges. So, how does this work line up with climate science?
May 2, 2023
Corporate Responsibility
A Climate Change Message to Governments: Meet Today’s Needs and Build for Tomorrow
Edelman’s latest Global Trust Barometer found that citizens want leaders to take on climate change now, and start building for tomorrow.
November 22, 2022
Energy
Let’s Couple Net Zero with Net Resilience
The net zero road will be a rocky one without a focus on resilience; so, here's your net zero checklist, one that mustn't overlook marginalized communities.
May 27, 2022
Community Development
Extreme Heat: We Are ‘Not Playin’ in Miami and Beyond
As with many climate resilience interventions, local governments lead, and when it comes to extreme heat, companies can easily adopt their tactics.
May 12, 2022
Energy
Why the Private Sector Must Heed the COP26 Message on Climate Action
COP26 must serve as a wake-up call to the private sector, as it is principally responsible for both causing the global warming predicament and fixing it.
October 14, 2021
Energy
The Next 100 Days Will Be Crucial for Securing Climate Resilience
The next 100 days will be crucial as we anticipate what the Biden White House can achieve to bolster climate resilience across the U.S.
May 11, 2021
Energy
Biden’s First 100 days: A Climate Resilience Appraisal
How has President Biden's policies during his first 100 days in office had an impact on what the authors call the climate resilience decade?
May 6, 2021
Voices for Change
Why Is the Resilience Field So White?
Leaders in the resilience field must seek solutions that start with racial equity, as communities of color are most at risk to the ongoing climate crisis.
January 28, 2021
Energy
Why a Migration Plan is a Must for the Biden Administration
The statistics alone make it clear that the Biden administration's climate change strategy must focus on both migration and resilience.
November 25, 2020
Energy
The Biden Administration Can Make the 2020s the Resilience Decade
The Biden administration must honor our responsibility to minimize the impact of the climate crisis on Americans and people everywhere - here's how.
November 24, 2020
Finance
Stop Allowing This Decision-Making Strategy to Inhibit Climate Resilience Progress
The need to plan for long-term resilience is apparent now more than ever, which is why companies need to rethink processes like the cost-benefit analysis.
November 2, 2020
Community Development
Achieving Social Equity Is Connected with Climate Finance
Achieving true social equity will require a focus on both addressing climate risks and ensuring some level of finance is available to all citizens.
October 12, 2020
Energy
The Link Between Climate Finance and Building Resilience after COVID-19
The people most vulnerable to COVID-19 are the same citizens that are most vulnerable to the climate crisis; the financial sector should pivot accordingly.
October 9, 2020
Energy
COVID-19 Makes the 2020s the Adaptation Decade for Climate Change
If one thing is increasingly clear from this crisis, it is that many citizens will grow poorer from it. And this matters immensely for climate change.
April 30, 2020
Finance
Rousing the Real Estate Sector to Anticipate and Manage Climate Change Risk
It’s time for the global real estate sector to wake up to the impending climate crisis and to anticipate and manage climate change risk, says this consultant.
March 5, 2020
Energy
Stop Making This Mistake in Your Climate Strategy
Private-sector climate leadership focuses almost exclusively on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, rather than actively adapting to climate impacts, says this sustainability consultant.
December 19, 2019
After Climate Week: Sustainable Finance for the One Percent
In the wake of Climate Week, some in the financial sector are realizing they need to assess their risks - and not just through the lens of the one percent.
October 1, 2019
Salesforce Launches Yesteryear’s Climate Action Tool
Just before Climate Week, Salesforce introduced its Sustainability Cloud with an aim to “empower every business to drive impactful climate action.”
September 23, 2019
Finance
ClimateTech: A New Investment Genre for Startups Emerges
Is “ClimateTech” the newest emerging sector where technology-based startups are joining the fight to take on climate change?
August 9, 2019
Finance
Buyout Benefits: Retreating from U.S. Climate Risk Zones
Various buyout programs exist to move U.S. citizens out of climate risk zones, but are any of them sustainable and affordable in the long run?
August 8, 2019
Energy
Why Amazon’s Long Island City Plans Should Have Considered Climate Risk
When Amazon was turned away from its Long Island City plans by angry New Yorkers, the company narrowly skirted a bigger issue: climate change risks.
July 5, 2019
Energy
Money for Resilience, By the Numbers
The economic cost of climate change will only worsen if we make no changes to our current carbon emissions trajectory and do not plan for long-term resilience accordingly.
April 19, 2019
Energy
Five Resilience Trends to Watch in 2019
Americans depend on our country’s transportation, energy and water supply systems. This infrastructure is under increasing stress as coastal storms, […]
January 17, 2019
Energy
Onward! Resilience Takeaways from the Global Climate Action Summit
In some ways, it’s surprising how little the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit focused on climate adaptation. Only two the […]
September 21, 2018
Energy
Resilient Golden Arches – Structurally and Sustainably
Those golden arches of McDonald’s, among the most recognized logos in the word, are actually a catenary arch, a super […]
September 18, 2018
Energy
Weathering the Storm: Real Estate Resilience to Climate Change (Finally) Gets Attention
“It blows my mind that this is coming up now: Real estate risk from the physical impacts of climate change.” […]
September 17, 2018
Energy
Five Adaptation Finance Tips That Can Help Build Resilience Worldwide
Extreme weather events and long-term climatic changes are having an impact on economies everywhere, and leaders are grappling with action […]
September 13, 2018
Corporate Responsibility
Is TCFD Guidance Exacerbating Social Inequity?
My summer reading has entailed reviewing closely the numerous excellent resilience-finance thought leadership reports written by friends and colleagues, much […]
August 13, 2018
Finance
Paying for Resilience: Market Drivers and Financial Means
When I worked for the City of Chicago applying its Climate Action Plan, our work was funded by the lack […]
June 12, 2018
Finance
6 Steps for Building a “Sweet Spot” Where Social and Financial Equity Meet
Equity means quite different things to two stakeholders I work with the most: Will these two paths converge in the […]
June 8, 2018
Corporate Responsibility
We Survived Climate Change Eons Ago, but Could We Survive Today? Not Unless We Act Much More Swiftly Immediately
A compelling ad for The Great Course on investing shows a man’s hands grasping a giant golden egg. It reminds […]
April 19, 2018
Energy
Who Owns the Physical Risks from Climate Change? (And What One Move Can Make It Less Risky?)
We hear a lot about how the anticipated rise in sea levels could trigger significant increases in hurricane-related financial losses. […]
March 7, 2018
Finance
Credit Rating Agencies Assess the Physical Risks of Climate Change
What about credit rating agencies as a market actor to inspire climate resilience? Already, the 11 recommendations by the Task […]
February 22, 2018
Corporate Responsibility
Real Estate Investors Finally Consider Climate Risks
Mar-A-Lago-Climate-Central-Nickolay-Lamm By Joyce Coffee 2017 was quite a year for extreme events. Shocks and stresses from 16 events that each […]
January 24, 2018
Energy
Midwest Braces For Climate Change Migrations North
For the third straight year, Illinois lost more residents in 2016 than any other state. But could climate change alter […]
October 20, 2017
Energy
Time to Raise Water Rates
While hurricanes Harvey and Irma deluge floods of biblical proportions, 21.7 million Americans – 11 percent of the country – […]
September 12, 2017
Energy
Hurricane Harvey – a Tragic Yet Teachable Moment
Like Houston and its neighbors, many municipal governments are painfully aware they are at risk when an extreme storm hits. […]
September 1, 2017
Voices for Change
As Feds Devalue Science, It's Time To Take It to the City
A pivotal conversation in Chicago galvanized my career in adaptation. A group of scientists from Washington, D.C., were visiting as […]
March 1, 2017
Technology
Chicago: Taking Tips from the Screwworm
Given the typical irreverence of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, I’m pondering something I think he might like to know: He could be […]
January 2, 2017
Voices for Change
How Health, Climate Change, and Social Justice Intersect in Chicago
By Joyce Coffee and Elena Grossman Before Lin-Manuel Miranda’s fame exploded with “Hamilton,” he composed and won a Tony for “In the […]
December 14, 2016
Finance
What the U.S. Can Learn from the U.K. About Climate Risk
By Joyce Coffee As the United States welcomes a new presidential administration, and the District of Columbia becomes what I refer […]
December 12, 2016
Finance
Stranded Assets: Preventing the Next Era of Climate Change
I first heard the term “stranded assets” at a Bloomberg event in New York City during Climate Week 2014. For […]
October 4, 2016
Finance
Laurels for Credit Raters: Levers of Change in the Climate Adaptation Market
The voices and actions of the financial industry are critical to change capital market policy and practice change. That’s why […]
October 3, 2016
Energy
Looking Forward: Lessons in Energy Efficiency from Canada
Is Canada ahead in the turtle race to energy efficiency in North America? The always-witty Phillipe Dunsky, president of Dunsky […]
March 2, 2016
Corporate Responsibility
Paris Outcome: Adapt or Bust
As the Paris climate negotiations closed last Saturday, you heard a great deal of hope and optimism as well as […]
December 21, 2015
Energy
COP21’s Legacy: A New Era
At a private event Wednesday in Paris, Peter Bakker, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, noted two […]
December 15, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
Preparing for New Realities: Planners Weigh in on Adapting to Climate Change
With climate uncertainty a new normal, planners from around the world are tussling with how to work with thrift so […]
May 1, 2015
Corporate Responsibility
The Climate Adaptation Gap: How to Create a Climate Adaptation Plan
Editor’s note: This is the third post in an ongoing biweekly series on the climate adaptation gap. Stay tuned for future […]
June 6, 2014
Corporate Responsibility
Bridging the Climate Adaptation Gap: Relative Risks of Geographies in Supply Chains
Editor’s note: This is the second post in an ongoing biweekly series on the climate adaptation gap. Stay tuned for […]
May 22, 2014
Finance
Bridging the Climate Adaptation Gap: From Recognition to Action
Editor’s note: This is the first post in an ongoing biweekly series on the climate adaptation gap. Stay tuned for […]
May 8, 2014