As climate change accelerates, understanding the environmental risks to your home is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and intense, many homeowners are unprepared for the long-term risks these events pose. Real estate platforms like Redfin and Zillow are starting to address this gap. Recently, a new tool announced by Zillow and First Street aims to help buyers and sellers check a home’s climate risk, adding to the growing list of resources designed to inform property owners of environmental hazards. Other sites offer similar tools, for instance Redfin offers a tool that shows climate risks by zip code, using data from First Street Foundation,ClimateCheck, and FEMA. These platforms simplify complex data into easy-to-read scores, which can give homeowners a quick overview of climate risks in their area. However, reducing detailed climate data into a single score often misses the nuances that could be crucial for making informed decisions.
The good news is that many of the tools these platforms use are available directly to consumers, along with other, more comprehensive resources that provide deeper insights. Here’s how you can use these tools to better understand the climate risks facing your home and take steps to protect your property.
The Growing Need for Climate Risk Awareness
Over the past decade, billions of dollars in damages have been caused by natural disasters, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. experienced 23 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2023 alone . While many homeowners are aware of the risks associated with living in floodplains or wildfire-prone areas, fewer understand how climate change might amplify these threats in ways that make traditional assumptions about risk obsolete.
With more tools available to assess these risks, homeowners can—and should—take steps to understand them better.
Tools to Assess Climate Risks
Several online platforms offer valuable data on climate risks that help homeowners assess the dangers their homes face. Here are a few that can guide you:
- ClimateCheck: This tool provides granular data on how climate change might impact specific properties. It breaks down risks like extreme heat, drought, fire, and flood, and gives an overall score to each property. For example, homes in Alexandria, Virginia, are evaluated for flood risk, heat risk, and other vulnerabilities, which can be helpful for current and prospective homeowners in the area .
- The U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index: This resource is especially useful for marginalized communities. It maps out climate risks across different neighborhoods, taking environmental justice into account by highlighting areas with heightened vulnerabilities due to systemic inequalities. If you live in an area already prone to flooding, heat waves, or industrial pollution, this tool can help you better understand your community’s specific risks .
- U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit: For those looking for more hands-on planning, the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit offers a “Steps to Resilience” guide, which helps users assess their exposure to climate risks and develop action plans to mitigate them. This resource is valuable not just for homeowners but also for community organizers and local governments looking to enhance regional preparedness .
- Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas): For those concerned about pollution and environmental justice, the EJAtlas is an excellent resource for understanding broader environmental risks that may affect your home. It highlights cases of pollution, deforestation, and other hazards on a regional scale, helping you assess whether there are larger-scale environmental issues impacting your property .
Understanding Your Insurance and Financial Risks
One of the key considerations for homeowners is how climate risk affects their financial security, particularly regarding property insurance. Many standard homeowners’ policies don’t cover certain types of climate-related damage, like flooding, leaving residents to face massive out-of-pocket costs after disasters strike. A 2022 report by the First Street Foundation found that around 14.6 million properties across the U.S. face significant flood risk that isn’t reflected in current Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood maps. That is mainly because the maps are outdated because of climate change – according to an interview its administrator gave in Smithsonian Magazine. They were made to account for riverine and atmospheric flooding, not historic rainfall and rapidly intensifying storms like Milton.
To protect your home, ensure that your insurance coverage is up to date and accurately reflects the potential risks your property faces. In addition, consider supplemental coverage, such as flood or wildfire insurance, depending on your region.
Taking Action to Protect Your Property
Knowing your risks is only the first step. Once you’ve assessed the threats your home faces, it’s essential to take concrete steps to mitigate them. Here are a few recommendations:
- Elevate Your Home or Critical Systems: If you live in a flood-prone area, elevating your home or essential systems like HVAC units can reduce the likelihood of water damage.
- Invest in Fire-Resistant Landscaping: If your property is at risk for wildfires, consider fire-resistant landscaping—using plants with high moisture content and creating defensible space around your home.
- Improve Energy Efficiency: Climate change not only brings about more extreme weather but also prolonged heat waves. Installing energy-efficient windows, better insulation, and upgrading to a more efficient cooling system can help protect against the financial burden of extreme temperatures.
- Check Local Building Codes: Many municipalities are updating building codes to account for new climate realities. Ensuring that any renovations or repairs you make align with these codes can both protect your home and potentially lower your insurance premiums.
Planning for a Resilient Future
No matter where you live, planning for climate risks is now a crucial part of homeownership. Fortunately, a growing array of tools and resources can help you understand the threats your property faces and take steps to mitigate them. Platforms like ClimateCheck and the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit offer vital insights for assessing risks, while insurance considerations and home improvements can help protect your investment.
While these tools offer an important start, your climate risk planning should be an ongoing process. Keep informed about new developments in your area, engage with local resilience initiatives, and consider working with community groups to develop a broader, more sustainable plan for your home and neighborhood. By taking these steps now, you can ensure that your home is not only protected but also resilient in the face of an increasingly uncertain climate future.
