The Wild, Wild West of Climate Modeling…Just Got Wilder
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
Release Date: 04/12/2025
North: The Future of Post-Climate America
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , host Doug Parsons welcomes back recurring guest and leading adaptation scholar to discuss his new book, (Oxford Univesity Press). Keenan examines how the United States is already changing through mobility, shifting markets, governance pressures, and evolving cultural identities. Doug and Jesse unpack why adaptation is not just a set of technical responses to climate impacts but a broader transformation in how communities understand stability, opportunity, and belonging. They explore the limits of local governments, the growing influence of market-led adaptation, and...
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FEMA at a Crossroads: What’s Breaking, What’s Working, and What Comes Next with NRDC
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , host Doug Parsons checks in on FEMA at a moment of rapid change. With funding delays, political uncertainty, and major reforms underway, FEMA’s role in national resilience is shifting in real time. Doug speaks with four guests — Joel Scata (NRDC), Michael Coen (former FEMA Chief of Staff), Samantha Medlock (former FEMA Assistant Administrator), and Derrick Hiebert (AECOM) — to unpack what’s happening inside the agency, where communities are feeling the impacts, and what potential improvements could emerge from this period of transition. It’s a candid, timely...
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The Federal Climate Retreat and the Rise of a New Adaptation Ecosystem
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , host Doug Parsons explores what happens when federal climate services retreat—and a new adaptation ecosystem rises to fill the gaps. As agencies like NOAA, FEMA, and EPA scale back their climate work, adaptation professionals are turning to emerging climate-service innovators for the tools, data, and guidance they need. We kick off with framing the big-picture implications of this federal pullback, then hear from leaders at , , the and , who are stepping forward with practical solutions. This episode highlights the essential adaptation tools available right now, the...
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Unmanaged Retreat: Inside America’s First Federal Climate Relocation Attempt
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , host Doug Parsons talks with reporter about the tangled story behind America’s first federally funded climate relocation on Louisiana’s . Once hailed as a model for how the nation could move entire communities out of harm’s way, the project became mired in politics, confusion, and broken promises. Terry shares what he uncovered on the ground — from residents who never wanted to leave, to state officials unprepared for the task, to the bigger question of whether the U.S. is truly ready for managed retreat. This episode clears up the confusion, revealing what...
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Understanding the IPCC with Dr. Katharine Mach—Where the Media Succeeds and Fails - Re-release
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of America Adapts, Doug Parsons revisits his conversation with , Professor at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and a lead author for the . Katharine explains the process of drafting that report and how the media both succeeds and fails at communicating its urgency. Doug and Katharine also discussed the need to rethink the role and purpose of the IPCC as it prepares for its next major assessment—especially now, as the Trump administration dismantles the National Climate Assessment and scales back federal climate programs, making the...
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Special Episode — Climate Change and Human Mobility (Rebroadcast of a CCST Panel Conversation)
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , Doug Parsons takes you inside a CCST webinar that he moderated —part of the ’s Climate Change & Human Mobility series, organized with the UC Disaster Resilience Network and UC Berkeley. You’ll hear from three experts: (Assistant Professor, Environmental Social Sciences, Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University), (Professor of Public Affairs, LBJ School, University of Texas at Austin), and (Rohr Professor of International Affairs, School of Global Policy & Strategy, UC San Diego). Together, they explore the politics of place...
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20 Years After Hurricane Katrina: The Fixes, the Failures and What’s at Risk Again with Dr. Andrew Rumbach
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , host Doug Parsons talks with Dr. of the , who went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to work on recovery and has spent his career studying disasters and resilience. They discuss Katrina’s enduring legacy—what’s been fixed, what remains broken, and what’s now under assault. Andrew shares insights on how FEMA has evolved since 2005, where bipartisan reforms have emerged even in a hostile political climate, and whether the country is truly ready for the next major storm. He also highlights five powerful documentaries that capture Katrina’s human and...
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Generating the Science Behind Climate Adaptation with the Schoodic Institute
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , we’re heading to coastal Maine — a place where science, community, and nature all come together to tackle climate change. Adaptation doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes data, observation, and sometimes years of research to generate the science that guides decisions. That science is often messy, imperfect, but it’s the foundation for every smart adaptation. Effective adaptation requires partnerships. As you will hear, in Maine, you’ll find scientists, historians, local communities, and institutions like the Schoodic Institute working side by side....
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Climate Change on the Battlefield: International Military Responses to the Climate Crisis with Erin Sikorsky
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , host Doug Parsons speaks with , Director of the Center for Climate and Security and author of the new book Climate Change on the Battlefield. Erin explains how climate change is already impacting global security—degrading military readiness, increasing conflict risks, and forcing new missions on defense forces worldwide. We explore how national adaptation plans can serve as strategic tools, the dangers of political backsliding in the U.S., and how China’s assertive adaptation strategy may reshape global power dynamics. Erin also highlights countries that are getting...
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Innovations in Climate Risk and Insurance – The Podcast
America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast
In episode of , host Doug Parsons explores the fast-changing world of climate risk and insurance—where escalating hazards are driving rapid changes in how we safeguard homes, businesses, and entire communities. This episode brings together an unprecedented mix of guests: policy experts advancing insurance reform, senior executives from leading insurance companies, a Miami real estate agent navigating the front lines of a shifting market, and innovators using big data and advanced technology to transform how risk is measured and managed. Across these conversations, listeners...
info_outlineIn episode 227 of America Adapts, we are re-releasing one of the more popular episodes of the podcast — my interview with Madison Condon, a law professor at Boston University. In our original conversation, we explored the critical role climate modeling plays in climate adaptation, including: what climate models can — and can’t — do; the concept of the “climate industrial complex”; legal liability for inaccurate climate projections and the role of climate analytics firms like First Street Foundation. When this episode first aired, there was still a general assumption that the federal government would continue to support the vast public infrastructure behind climate data and modeling. That assumption no longer holds. Federal agencies are now actively dismantling the systems that deliver open, accessible climate data — a dangerous retreat from a public good relied on by scientists, communities, and the private sector alike.
Following the original interview, we’ve added a brand-new interview with Madison to reflect on what’s changed, what we’re at risk of losing with the federal pullback, and why this shift toward privatized climate data should concern all of us. If you’ve already heard the original episode and want to jump straight to the new conversation, it begins around the 58 minute mark.
Topics covered in original interview:
- The Federal Reserve “is a climate laggard.”
- What are climate models and what can and can’t they do?
- What is the “climate industrial complex”?
- How right, is “right” enough when it comes to climate models?
- Could climate analytic/modeling companies be held liable for bad projections?
- The role of climate analytic groups like First Street Foundation.
- Do we need a “National Climate Service” to provide basic climate data?
- Do adaptation planners understand the role of climate models in their work?
Transcript of original interview with Madison available here.
Transcript of second, recent interview with Madison available here.
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Links in this episode:
Climate Services: The Business of Physical Risk
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4396826
https://prospect.org/economy/2023-04-12-rise-climate-rating-agencies/
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4396826
https://policyintegrity.org/about/bio/madison-condon
https://www.bu.edu/law/profile/madison-condon/
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Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Strategies to Address Climate Change Risk in Low- and Moderate-income Communities - Volume 14, Issue 1
https://www.frbsf.org/community-development/publications/community-development-investment-review/2019/october/strategies-to-address-climate-change-low-moderate-income-communities/
Podcasts in the Classroom – Discussion guides now available for the latest episode of America Adapts. These guides can be used by educators at all levels. Check them out here!
The 10 Best Sustainability Podcasts for Environmental Business Leaders
https://us.anteagroup.com/news-events/blog/10-best-sustainability-podcasts-environmental-business-leaders
The best climate change podcasts on The Climate Advisor
http://theclimateadvisor.com/the-best-climate-change-podcasts/
7 podcasts to learn more about climate change and how to fight it
https://kinder.world/articles/you/7-podcasts-to-learn-more-about-climate-change-and-how-to-fight-it-19813
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