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Trump tariffs and extreme weather could send home insurance costs soaring

Homeowners in disaster-prone states face potentially steep insurance hikes as new tariffs and climate-driven destruction push the market toward crisis.

Kiley Price reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

Home insurance rates are projected to rise 8% nationwide in 2025, with sharper hikes in climate-vulnerable states like Louisiana, California, and Florida.
President Trump’s new tariffs on building materials like lumber and steel are increasing reconstruction costs, which insurers may pass to consumers as higher premiums.
Labor shortages from immigration crackdowns, combined with delayed regulatory approval for rate increases, are straining insurers and may lead to insolvencies or market exits.

Key quote:

“I just think that this is so important for people to be made aware that insurance rates are going up, and insurance makes the economy go and this is the tangible result of a changing climate.”

— Andrew Hoffman, professor of sustainable enterprise at the University of Michigan

Why this matters:

The cost of homeowners insurance is no longer just a line item in the household budget; it’s becoming a barometer of America’s growing climate crisis. As fires torch the West, hurricanes batter the Gulf, and floods inundate the Midwest, insurers are walking away from policies they once considered safe bets. In some states, premiums have doubled or tripled, while others are seeing major providers pull out entirely. Add to that a jump in tariffs on essential building materials, and the price of rebuilding after a disaster becomes even steeper. These shifts don’t just pinch homeowners — they threaten the financial scaffolding of entire communities.

Learn more: Rising insurance costs leave more homeowners uninsured

insideclimatenews.org

Credit: Douglas Fischer

One lawyer's groundbreaking work in shaping climate law

As governments stall and emissions climb, human rights lawyers like Monica Feria-Tinta are turning to the courts to force climate action — one tree, island, or river at a time.

Samira Shackle reports for The Guardian.

In short:

Feria-Tinta is pioneering legal strategies that argue climate inaction violates human rights, helping Indigenous and vulnerable communities take their cases to global courts.
Her work includes landmark victories like the Torres Strait case, where the United Nations ruled Australia failed to protect islanders from climate harm, and Ecuador’s Los Cedros forest, which won legal rights as a living entity.
While legal wins are often slow and hard-fought, they’re shifting the global legal landscape, transforming courts into battlegrounds where climate justice and biodiversity now have a voice.

Key quote:

“Whether it’s a single tree, or a whole community depending on a river, what is at stake is the future of humanity.”

— Monica Feria-Tinta

Why this matters:

As heat, floods, and displacement intensify, the courtroom has become a potent line of defense. Climate litigation can hold powerful players accountable, push policy change, and help protect the ecosystems our health depends on — even when other systems fail. These legal wins are slow, complex, and anything but guaranteed. But they’re a signal that the courtroom is becoming one of the last places where the planet still stands a fighting chance.

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