Climate Risk Is Moving Faster Than Housing Policy

Climate change is often framed as a future problem. But what if some of its biggest impacts are already showing up—in ways the housing industry can’t ignore?

In the latest episode of The Impact Series, Green Builder Coalition Executive Director Mike Collignon sits down with climate scientist Dr. Jim White to unpack what decades of research are revealing about where things are headed—and how quickly change can happen.

At first glance, climate science can feel distant from housing decisions.

But as the conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that everything from sea level rise to extreme weather is already influencing insurance markets, property values, and long-term development patterns.

Dr. White explores how warming oceans are accelerating ice melt, why sea levels have risen dramatically in the past, and what that could mean for coastal communities in the coming decades. He also touches on a less obvious but critical factor: the growing role of insurance and reinsurance markets as potential “tipping points” that could rapidly reshape where and how we build.

He raises questions such as:

• How fast could sea levels actually rise—and are we prepared for that pace?
• What happens when insurance companies begin to pull back from high-risk areas?
• Could climate-driven migration become one of the defining housing challenges of our time?
• And are we focusing enough on the human decisions driving these outcomes—not just the science?