A pair of scissors cuts through a sequence of 100 dollar bills.

Extreme weather isn’t the future — it’s already straining budgets and resources

From hurricane-ravaged Florida to drought-stricken Australia, the true cost of climate change is hitting home — literally and financially. A five-part Living Planet series reframes climate change not just as an environmental crisis but as an economic time bomb, already reshaping retirements, insurance markets, and entire communities. But it also shines a light on opportunities for transformation.

Sam Baker and Charli Shield report for DW.


In short:

  • Part 1: Climate change is fueling more frequent and intense hurricanes. The U.S. now faces billion-dollar weather disasters every three weeks — up from once every four months in the 1980s. As Florida’s storms grow more destructive and insurers bail, homeowners are being left to weather the costs of climate change on their own.
  • Part 2: Clean energy isn’t just possible — it’s profitable. Experts say transitioning to renewables is not only cheaper than fossil fuels long-term, but already economically smart. A climate-rattled Australian farmer proves the concept by turning his drought-ravaged land into a renewable energy powerhouse.
  • Part 3: Who should pay to fix climate change? Turns out it’s complicated. The debate over how to finance climate action is turning into a political minefield, as governments struggle to balance subsidies, taxes, and fairness in their quest to cut emissions. Globally, fossil fuel subsidies remain staggeringly high — $7 trillion in 2022 alone — fueling planet-warming pollution and undercutting efforts to fund clean energy transitions.
  • Part 4: Extreme heat is wrecking our health, economy, and infrastructure. As global temperatures rise, the deadly and costly toll of extreme heat is pushing health systems, workers, and city infrastructure past their limits.Heatwaves are now the deadliest weather-related threat, straining emergency rooms, degrading hospital infrastructure, and causing surges in life-threatening conditions like strokes and heart attacks.
  • Part 5: The economy keeps ignoring nature, and it’s costing us more than we realize. When ecosystems collapse, we lose food security, climate buffers, and even the sources of life-saving medicines. Economists argue nature’s value — like pollination, flood protection, and biodiversity — is excluded from GDP, leaving society blind to its economic and health benefits.

Why this matters:

In DW’s new Living Planet series, reporters Sam Baker and Charli Shield rip the “future problem” label off climate change and show how it’s quietly bulldozing through economies across the globe. The message is clear: climate change isn’t just a natural disaster — it’s also an economic one. And whether it’s a flooded basement or a heat-stressed heart, it’s already costing us more than we bargained for.

Steel mill under a cloudy sky.
Credit: Michi/Pixabay

Steelmaker retreats from clean energy plans as hydrogen costs and politics shift

Cleveland-Cliffs is scaling back plans to build the nation's first green steel plant in Ohio, pivoting away from hydrogen and back to fossil fuels as federal incentives face repeal and political winds change in Washington.

Alexander C. Kaufman reports for Canary Media.

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Desert field with solar panels.

California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

In California’s Mojave Desert, a mining plant is turning to solar thermal energy to replace one of its coal-fired generators, but a second unit may run for years due to the intense heat and 24-hour power it needs.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

In short:

  • Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
  • The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
  • Despite California’s push to phase out coal and President Trump’s efforts to revive it, economic and geographic constraints continue to complicate full industrial transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

Related: Farmers use solar panels to protect crops and conserve water

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New gas plant approved in Newark despite community objections over health and pollution

A state sewer commission approved a controversial gas-fired backup power plant in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, drawing opposition from residents who say it adds to the area’s already heavy pollution burden.

Emilie Lounsberry reports for Inside Climate News.

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An image showing a downpour with a caution sign.

New research links stalled jet stream to rising summer weather extremes

The number of extreme summer weather events driven by trapped atmospheric waves has tripled since 1950 due to climate change, new research shows.

Seth Borenstein reports for The Associated Press.

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Brazil moves to auction vast oil blocks despite climate and Indigenous concerns

Brazil is set to auction off oil and gas exploration rights in a massive offshore and Amazon region sale, prompting backlash from Indigenous groups and environmental advocates just months before it hosts the Cop30 climate summit.

Constance Malleret reports for The Guardian.

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South African coal town struggles to see benefits of clean energy shift

Residents of Komati, a former coal hub in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province, remain skeptical of the country’s green transition as job losses and slow infrastructure rollout leave them in economic limbo.

Rachel Savage reports for The Guardian.

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World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

The United States skipped a major round of United Nations climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany this week, leaving other nations and U.S. civil society groups to navigate the talks without the world's largest fossil fuel producer at the table.

Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News.

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