Fire department personnel wearing protective gear walk along a street with the burned rubble of former homes.

Credit: CAL FIRE_Official/Flickr

Climate disasters are pushing society’s most vulnerable to the brink

The Los Angeles fires claimed 29 lives, most of them elderly, highlighting the deadly risks climate-intensified disasters pose to older adults.

Sarah Kaplan and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux report for The Washington Post.

In short:

Older adults are nearly four times more likely to die in extreme weather events due to mobility issues, chronic conditions and social isolation.
The fires devastated Los Angeles communities, wiping out homes and claiming the lives of elders like Rodney Nickerson, a community leader and Mark Shterenberg, a NASA engineer.
Survivors say inadequate evacuation systems and outdated communication tools leave older people especially vulnerable in disasters.

Key quote:

“We used to think climate change was something that would happen to our children. We now understand it’s something already happening to our parents.”

— Andrew Schroeder, Direct Relief

Why this matters:

As climate disasters intensify, older adults face disproportionate risks. Mobility issues, chronic health conditions and social isolation all play a role. Evacuation plans and emergency response systems simply weren't designed with aging populations in mind. Climate change is rewriting the rules of survival, and right now, we’re leaving too many behind.

www.washingtonpost.com

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

a bridge that is lit up at night with wave breaking on a nearby lake shore in foreground.

Credit: Brad Switzer/Unsplash

Tribes exit pipeline negotiations in Michigan over lack of consultation

Seven Indigenous nations in Michigan have walked away from federal talks over a proposed oil pipeline tunnel, citing a lack of meaningful engagement and treaty violations.

Izzy Ross reports for Grist and Interlochen Public Radio.

In short:

The tribes oppose Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project, which would replace part of a 72-year-old pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, a critical freshwater corridor between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
Their withdrawal follows the Army Corps of Engineers’ move to fast-track permitting under President Trump’s energy emergency order, which tribes say dismisses their environmental and legal concerns.
Tribal leaders and legal advocates argue that the project threatens water resources and violates both U.S. treaty obligations and international law requiring Indigenous consent.

Key quote:

“Tribal Nations are no longer willing to expend their time and resources as Cooperating Agencies just so their participation may be used by the Corps to lend credibility to a flawed [Environmental Impact Statement] process and document.”

— Letter from seven Indigenous nations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Why this matters:

Buried beneath the Straits of Mackinac, where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron converge, Line 5 has become a flashpoint in the battle over fossil fuel infrastructure, Indigenous sovereignty, and environmental protection. The aging oil and gas pipeline — operated by Canadian energy giant Enbridge — moves millions of gallons of crude and natural gas liquids daily through a region that holds 20% of the planet’s surface freshwater. A proposed tunnel to house a replacement segment beneath the lakebed has drawn fierce opposition from tribal nations, who warn it risks catastrophic spills and continued desecration of sacred territory.

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grist.org

Climate disasters are pushing society’s most vulnerable to the brink

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Tribes exit pipeline negotiations in Michigan over lack of consultation

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