The Road Not Bakin’

“He trimmed the trees away from his house, and covered his yard in gravel to stop flames rushing in from the forest near his property. In case that buffer zone failed, he sheathed his house in fire-resistant stucco, and topped it with a noncombustible steel roof. None of it mattered.” While certain politicians and their followers continue to deny the threat of climate change, for many Americans its stark reality lands too close to home to ignore. If it doesn’t arrive via fire or flood, it comes via a letter. These unwelcome messages sent to millions of homeowners in recent years come from their home insurance companies and inform them that their insurance contracts have been nonrenewed. That’s insurance-speak that roughly translates to: Sorry, you’re f–ked. “Without insurance, you can’t get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home. Communities that are deemed too dangerous to insure face the risk of falling property values, which means less tax revenue for schools, police and other basic services. As insurers pull back, they can destabilize the communities left behind, making their decisions a predictor of the disruption to come.” NYT (Gift Article): Insurers Are Deserting Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen. Insurance companies that rely on math and science to secure their bottom lines don’t have time for climate change denial. They know where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

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