Moira Birss

@moira

Climate, economic justice & human rights research, advocacy & policy visioning. Senior Fellow @cplusc.bsky.social studying US disaster insurance & global finance policy. Board co-Chair @lawgaction.bsky.social. Amo a 🇨🇴. Living on Ohlone land. she/ella/ela.

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Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir moira.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Moira Birss@moira· Jul 7

“The heat will come. The question is what we have built underneath the surface to hold when it does.”

The next phase of this work is not louder unity. It is quieter, deeper, more patient building - in relationships, in distributed networks, in solidarity practiced rather than performed, in leadership that holds depth and breadth at once. It’s the unglamorous work of preparing for pressures we can’t fully predict, in ways that don’t depend on predicting them.

The heat will come. The question is what we have built underneath the surface to hold when it does.

Moira Birss@moira· Jul 7

“Coalitions fracture under pressure,” Scot Nakagawa writes in Anti-Authoritarian Playbook. “Our job is to build the infrastructure underneath them.” And part of how we do that is relational, not just performative, solidarity. antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com/p/when-the-h...

This points to a critical distinction.
(The following text is highlighted) Performative solidarity - the statement, the post, the letter of support - can serve a signaling function but cannot build the cross-community trust that makes coalitions of necessity possible when crisis comes.
Relational solidarity is built through actual presence, actual risk taken together, actual care expressed when it costs something. It's built before the crisis, so that when the crisis comes, the people who show up already know each other.

Moira Birss@moira· Jul 3

Oh the irony. Rubio instructed diplomats to pressure countries to rebuke Cuba for “gross incompetence and massive corruption” during an upcoming UN debate on U.S. sanctions against Cuba, per reporting in @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/worl...

Cuba"-Secretary Marco Rubio has directed US embassies abroad to press their host nations to "affirm our objection" to the UN vote and oppose a General Assembly debate on ongoing US efforts to suffocate the Cuban economy. If the debate goes forward despite US objections, according to Rubio's instructions, "the U.S. is encouraging strongly aligned member states to deliver remarks rebuking Cuba for its devotion to thoroughly discredited economic theory, gross incompetence and massive corruption." For nonaligned states the US is corruption.

Moira Birss@moira· Jun 4

Heads up, Oakland www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-c...

Mr. Trump will invoke the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law that gives the U.S. president emergency authority over domestic industries, to distribute $75 million for a new coal export terminal in Oakland, California, and $425 million to support 13 existing plants across 10 states: West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Moira Birss@moira· May 19

In the latest @dissentmag.bsky.social, Chelsea Kirk & I write about the victory of private markets in the aftermath of the Eaton & Palisades fires, instead of what could have been: housing stabilization, tenant protections & collective disaster risk reduction. dissentmagazine.org/article/los-...

screenshot of masthead of the article linked in the post. Text reads: Fire Sale
In the aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades fires, housing could have been stabilized and tenants could have been protected. But the private market won. Chelsea Kirk and Moira Birss ▪ Summer 2026
below text is a photo of a firefighter spraying water at a fire that's burning around tall buildings and a few trees.

Moira Birss@moira· May 14

Squeezed by insurance, affordable housing providers may have little choice but to raise rents (when legally allowed) or increase fees. Or they cut maintenance budgets, making buildings less resilient to damage—including from climate-related disasters—as repairs go undone & conditions worsen.

The image is a minimalist bar chart comparing operating expenses in 2020 and 2024. The background is white. Two vertical bars represent the total per-unit operating expenses for each year. The bar for 2020 is shorter and lighter pink, with a darker pink section at the top. The bar for 2024 is taller and a slightly darker shade of pink, also with a darker pink section at the top. The darker pink sections represent insurance expenses.

Above the 2020 bar, the label "$7,795" is displayed, with a thin orange line extending down to the top of the darker pink section, indicating the insurance expense portion. Below the 2020 bar, the year "2020" is written.

Above the 2024 bar, the label "$9,532" is displayed, with a similar thin orange line extending down to the top of the darker pink section. Below the 2024 bar, the year "2024" is written.

To the left of the bars, there is a text block that reads "Total per-unit operating expenses increased 22%, from $7,800 in 2020 to $9,500 in 2024." The text is in a dark grey or black font.

To the right of the bars, another text block states "Meanwhile, insurance expenses increased 52%." This text is also in dark grey or black, with "52%" highlighted in bold.

The composition is clean and centered, with the bars and text arranged logically to convey the information. The color palette is muted, using shades of pink and orange against a white background, which draws attention to the data presented. The visual hierarchy is clear, with the bars and key figures being the most prominent elements. The use of stacked bars and accompanying text effectively illustrates the increase in total operating expenses and the significant rise in insurance expenses.

Moira Birss@moira· May 14

Affordable housing construction and operation have overlapping - sometimes contradictory - insurance requirements from lenders and government financing agencies. Price hikes, coverage cuts, or even unavailability of viable insurance options causes a new financial strain for affordable housing.

This is a flowchart graphic that illustrates the impact of insurance requirements on housing projects. The graphic is divided into three horizontal sections, each representing a different stage or type of housing activity: "Construction or acquisition," "Operating housing," and "Upgrading housing."

The first section, "Construction or acquisition," details that lenders require builders to obtain insurance for new projects and even more property and liability insurance for acquisition. This leads to the problem of "Increased insurance costs, coverage gaps, and lack of options that match lender requirements." The consequences are that "Projects cannot move forward," "Developers and operators spend more financing on insurance costs," and "Government and philanthropy dollars must fill budget gaps."

The second section, "Operating housing," states that lenders tend to have strict and often contradictory property and liability insurance requirements. The problem identified is "Increased costs, limited coverage options, stricter claims processing, and claims denials." The consequences include "Deferred maintenance with more of the operating budget going to insurance," "Operators shoulder cost burden of damage or pass costs to tenants," and "Operators take on more debt to cover costs."

The third section, "Upgrading housing," indicates that lenders require supplemental coverage for green building upgrades. The problem here is that "Coverage options for green upgrades often do not exist or are prohibitively expensive," and "Insurance is harder or costlier to obtain for existing buildings." The consequences are that "Insurers become a de facto permitting authority for climate and resilience upgrades," "Tenants do not receive climate and resilience upgrades," "Operators defer building upgrades due to a lack of capital," and "Operators prioritize new construction over maintenance of existing buildings."

Moira Birss@moira· May 12

Very cool to give private companies the "opportunity" to make money off a financial safety net that many homeowners are required to have. I'm sure this won't result in premium rates skyrocketing and consumer protections plummeting. 🙃

CLIMATEWIRE
Flood insurer’s shares leap after Trump is urged toshed federal policies
Analysts say private companies have an opportunity to insure against flood damage following recommendations to narrow the NationalFlood Insurance Program.
BY: Saquib Rahim
|
05/12/2026 06:20 AM EDT

Moira Birss@moira· Apr 29

If you're like me, you're outraged by SCOTUS gutting the Voting Rights Act. And if you're like me, you want to DO SOMETHING with your outrage. So here's an invitation: Come knock doors to help elect Randy Villegas, a young, progressive, son of immigrants to Congress. (1/4)

Photo of Randy Villegas, a young Latino man in a white collared shirt, with smiling supporters behind him holding up signs reading "Randy Villegas for Congress"

Moira Birss@moira· Apr 23

Read the brief here: climateandcommunity.org/wp-content/u...

Purple background with text that reads: International Financial Architecture Reform to Move Beyond Extractivism

Moira Birss@moira· Apr 15

This kind of policy approach isn't just essential, it's demanded by voters. New @dataforprogress.org polling shows: ‼️ 70% of voters think economic policy can lower costs AND emissions. ‼️ 55% of voters want politicians to address the climate crisis and cost of living through coordinated policies.

**Title:** 70% of voters think that economic policy can lower costs while directly reducing emissions.

**Description:**

* The image presents a bar graph with three sections, each representing a different opinion on the effectiveness of economic policy in reducing emissions.
* The sections are colored green, yellow, and gray, respectively.
* The first section, colored green, represents 70% of the voters who believe that economic policy can lower costs while directly reducing emissions.
* The second section, colored yellow, represents 19% of the voters who think that economic policy cannot lower costs while directly reducing emissions.
* The third section, colored gray, represents 10% of the voters who don't know or have no opinion on the matter.
* The background of the image features a gradient of green colors, ranging from light to dark.
* The overall design of the image is simple and easy to read, making it effective in conveying the message to the audience.

**Key Points:**

* 70% of voters believe that economic policy can lower costs while directly reducing emissions.
* 19% of voters think that economic policy cannot lower costs while directly reducing emissions.
* 10% of voters don't know or have no opinion on the matter.
* The image presents a clear and concise visual representation of the data, making it easy to understand and interpret.

**Climate Crisis and Cost of Living: Public Priorities**

This infographic presents a breakdown of public opinion on addressing the climate crisis and rising cost of living through coordinated policies. The data is sourced from an unspecified survey of voters, with 55% expressing their desire for elected officials to tackle these issues collaboratively.

**Key Findings:**

* **Coordinated Policies:** 55% of voters advocate for government action on both climate change and cost of living, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach.
* **Prioritization:** 19% focus primarily on the cost of living, while 10% prioritize climate change, and another 10% are undecided or lack knowledge regarding these issues.

**Visual Representation:**

A color-coded bar graph illustrates the distribution of responses, providing a clear and concise visual representation of public sentiment.

**Conclusion:**

The infographic highlights the significant proportion of voters who support a coordinated approach to addressing the climate crisis and rising cost of living. By presenting the data in a clear and structured manner, it provides valuable insights into public opinion on these critical issues.

Moira Birss@moira· Dec 22

Another one (especially in light of that silly Matt Y oped): “Relying on a boom in US exports — energy, which is a very small share of US trade, or otherwise — to rebalance the trade deficit appears unreasonably optimistic.”

As markets priced in a global recession following Liberation Day, oil prices fell. Saudi Arabia has also ramped up its oil supply, which means that expensive US hydrocarbons are not likely to attract foreign demand. While net US energy exports have moved from negative two per cent of GDP in 2011 to positive territory, they are too small to significantly reduce the trade deficit (Fig. 6). Like many other advanced economies, US trade continues to be dominated by manufactured goods not commodities. Furthermore, US trade balances are determined more by imports than exports. While US imports (excluding energy imports, which exhibit price volatility) have remained stable at almost ten per cent of GDP since 2010, (non-energy) exports have declined from eight to six per cent of GDP. Relying on a boom in US exports - energy, which is a very small share of US trade, or otherwise — to rebalance the trade deficit appears unreasonably optimistic.

Moira Birss@moira· Dec 22

Fascinating insight here: the US trade deficit is correlated with corporate profits, and the admin’s efforts to exempt US corporations from the global minimum corporate tax regime only exacerbates this.

While American exceptionalism in the global economy is usually understood in financial terms, it also derives from the fact that US corporations capture the bulk of profits across a whole host of global value chains. Reduced costs from economies of scale and cheaper labour involved in overseas production redound to US firms and consumers. It turns out that the US trade deficit is correlated with corporate profits (Fig. 5). The Trump administration has intervened to safeguard these profits. In an agreement with the G7, Scott Bessent has secured the exemption of large US-parented multinational corporate groups from the newly established global minimum corporate tax regime — defeating years of efforts by the UN and the OECD to tackle corporate tax avoidance.

Moira Birss@moira· Dec 17

of key features of how insurance works in CA, e.g. not knowing that the FAIR plan is run by private insurers. here's an excerpt from an investigation I co-authored on the insurer-of-last-resort model: climateandcommunity.org/research/ins... 2/3

The California FAIR Plan is structured as an independent, not-for-profit insurance syndicate established by statute and administered by a governing committee of insurer representatives. All licensed property and casualty insurers that write basic property insurance in California are required to be members of the Plan under the insurance code. Policies are issued on behalf of these member companies, who participate in the Plan’s profits, losses, and expenses in proportion to their market share in the state.

Moira Birss@moira· Dec 16

Premium pricing is not an effective (and definitely not an equitable!) way to achieve population-level risk reduction. See eg the work of scholars @rfelliott.bsky.social, Laurence Barry & Paula Jarzabkowski. I summarized some of the reasons why here: climateandcommunity.org/research/pro...

● People make decisions about where to live for all kinds of reasons, like where schools, family, or jobs are located.
● Some households may have been forced into a risky location because housing discrimination or affordable housing shortages left them no choice on where to live.
● Low-income households, as well as many middle-income ones, cannot afford to pay upfront for big retrofits. Renters have almost no power to enact them.
● Many of the necessary risk-reduction measures to respond to these big disasters, like sewer upgrades or neighborhood brush clearings, aren’t measures individual households or building owners can take on their own.
● The wealthiest homeowners can always override these “price signals.”
● Market rate housing developers don’t have to think about insurance coverage past the build completion date and so keep building new housing in high-risk areas.

Moira Birss@moira· Dec 2

Glad to see a more balanced take on the Zillow climate risk story than most commentary, which simply wants a return to black-box models for individual use. As @madisoncondon.bsky.social wrote, "There needs to be a broader institutional solution to this problem." www.linkedin.com/posts/madiso...

"Ultimately, I hope we get to a place where the burden is not solely on an individual consumer to try to investigate their climate risk exposure. There needs to be a broader institutional solution to this problem, including getting banks and regulators to do a better job of risk assessment on their end."

Moira Birss@moira· Nov 13

Seen just now in NW DC: statue of Tr*mp & Epstein dancing together, in honor of “friendship month”. A passerby assured me this wasn’t here as of 4 hours ago.

Statute of Trump and Epstein frolicking hand in hand.

Plaque below the statue with hands making a heart shape. Text reads: In Honor of Friendship Month. We celebrate the long-lasting bond between Donald J. Trump and his “closest friend,” Jeffrey Epstein. Voice over: There Must Be More To Life Than Having Everything.

Moira Birss@moira· Nov 12

It’s a real bummer that the collapse of insurance markets keeps getting covered as if it were the fault of individuals rather than logical outcome of an industry focused more on profit than protection. climateandcommunity.org/research/pro...

Only a holistic response to this crisis, intended to ensure safe, affordable housing for all — rather than prioritizing insurance company profits — can fully address the interconnected risks communities face.

Moira Birss@moira· Oct 27

“Together, let us make a light that is bright enough to banish any darkness!” www.youtube.com/live/hpmzORA...

Moira Birss@moira· Oct 12

The mass protests in Ecuador against austerity measures dictated by international finance is clear example of the export-extraction vicious cycle generated by today’s international financial architecture, as we describe in a recent @cplusc.bsky.social report: climateandcommunity.org/wp-content/u...

The image is a circular diagram illustrating a cycle of interconnected issues. Starting with "Debt," the cycle moves to "Export-oriented production," which leads to "Extractivism." This then causes "Social and environmental underinvestment," followed by "Civil society opposition," and "Repression." The repression leads to "Climate vulnerability and biodiversity loss," which in turn drives the need for more "Debt," completing the cycle. The diagram uses purple rounded rectangles to represent each stage, with arrows indicating the direction of the cycle.

Moira Birss@moira· Oct 4

Dahlia timeline cleanse!

Close up on a dahlia with maroon petals on the outside and white petals closer in, surrounding the yellow center

A cluster of dahlias of a pink/orangish color

Closeup on a maroon dahlia speckled with rain droplets

Closeup on a white dahlia with variegated purple colors.

Moira Birss@moira· Sep 22

Transformative visions for green industrial policy in the Global South are, unfortunately, impossible without a redesign of today's international financial architecture (IFA). In a new @cplusc.bsky.social report with @laramerling.bsky.social, we explain... 1/4 climateandcommunity.org/research/gre...

Green Industrial Policy Needs a New Financial Architecture (screenshot from title page of report. White letters over purple fading into blue background.)

Moira Birss@moira· Sep 20

Totally agree when it comes to the MAGA right. AND, we can’t let ourselves believe in the impossibility of conversation and common ground with regular people. Having spent the weekend deep canvassing in Bakersfield, I know there are lots of irregular voters really unhappy with MAGA policies.

We can say something similar of our time. Neither Trump nor the MAGA right wants to discuss or deliberate; it wants to dominate. American politics is no longer a fight over policy; it is a fight over the character of the nation itself. The task of this moment, then, is to defend the old vision of a more perfect union — of a more democratic and egalitarian American republic — not hope that one can avoid the fight by having the right conversation.

Moira Birss@moira· Sep 16

As @brentcebul.bsky.social & Mike Glass write in their @phenomenalworld.bsky.social piece, "The midcentury FHA scandals show that loosened regulations and public subsidies—the main planks of today’s abundance agenda—are not enough to deliver sufficient affordable housing."

In the aftermath of the subprime mortgage collapse, the goals of national housing policy have swung from expanding home ownership back to increasing the supply of rental housing. Given the return of this goal, the history of public-private rental housing merits reflection. The midcentury FHA scandals show that loosened regulations and public subsidies—the main planks of today’s abundance agenda—are not enough to deliver sufficient affordable housing. Fred Trump did not just exploit the FHA system; he embodied its core logics of liberalized credit, socialized risk, and privatized profits. Trusting the same class of builders and recycling similar incentive schemes would be a mistake. Because developers, homeowners, and local governments are all deeply invested in maintaining or boosting property values, clearing out regulations and pouring in subsidies risks fuelling the same kind of speculative, profiteering frenzy that defined not only the windfall profits scandal but also the 2008 financial crisis. (the final sentence is highlighted in green)

Moira Birss@moira· Sep 16

One of my key takeaways from this history: the claims that government programs to build housing are "inefficient" ignore the immense fraud and theft from the working class at the hands of private developers:

These revelations snowballed into a major scandal, culminating over the summer of 1954 in a new round of Senate hearings. Sensational testimony from builders and FHA officials exposed how profiteering and speculation fueled the apartment boom. Many builders had overstated their construction and land costs in their insurance applications to secure higher mortgage valuations. After obtaining outsized government-backed loans, they built cheaply and slashed labor costs. Ian Woodner, builder of The Woodner and other 608 buildings in Washington, D.C., included the hefty legal fees for his divorce among the construction costs. Charles Glueck, a prominent mortgage broker for 608 projects in Indiana, did the same for receipts from his Florida vacations. Other builders resorted to bribing FHA officials for higher appraisals. The chief FHA appraiser for Los Angeles, John William Salmon, accepted a Ford automobile and $25,000 cash in exchange for an inflated valuation. The assistant director of the New Mexico FHA, Andrew Frost, enjoyed deep sea fishing trips and boozy parties hosted by builders.

Moira Birss@moira· Sep 16

Crucial cautionary tale for the "abundance" agenda in housing:

screenshot of the following text: "At the moment, the dominant liberal policy response calls for unleashing “abundance” by enhancing the incentives for developers to build more housing. The idea is straightforward. If the government would reduce zoning barriers, streamline regulations, and offer subsidies to developers, the private market would be free to create enough housing for everyone. But the history of incentive-driven housing development offers a cautionary tale. During the postwar era, federal programs with a remarkably similar logic produced impressive volumes of new rental housing. Yet because the programs lacked adequate public oversight, they did so at the cost of rampant profiteering, flagrant bribery, high rents, and deepening racial inequality. They also helped lay the foundation of the Trump real-estate empire." The last two sentences are highlighted in green.

Moira Birss@moira· Aug 28

Today hundreds of people occupied the lobby of @padilla.senate.gov’s SF office to demand he and @schiff.senate.gov end US military aid to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Over 100 people were arrested. Concurrent actions took place in LA, Sacramento & San Diego. #LetGazaLive

Building lobby filled with people in black shirts reading “divest from genocide” and holding signs reading “never again is now”, “Jews to Padilla: stop arming Israel”, “aid not bombs”, “let Gaza live”, and “Bay Area to Schiff: stop funding genocide”.

People grouped outside the entrance of a building, wearing shirts that rea “Jews say let Gaza live” and holding signs reading “never again is now”, “aid not bombs”, “let Gaza live”, and “Bay Area to Schiff: stop funding genocide”.

Moira Birss@moira· Aug 9

It's mind-boggling, right? Colleagues and I did a study of homeowners insurance rates in Louisiana, and found that 3/5 of households need to spend more than 10% of their income on a standard private home insurance policy -- in some zip codes it's much higher. climateandcommunity.org/research/sha...

Map of Louisiana shows home insurance premium burden by area. Colors range from light peach (less than 5%) to dark purple (over 50%). Text: "Three in five Louisiana households would need to spend more than 10 percent of their income on a standard home insurance policy." Example zip code, 70394, notes a 94% premium increase from 2021 to 2024, and that the average household in that zip code would have to pay 28% of their income on a standard premium.

Moira Birss@moira· Jun 17

It was an honor to support @ran.org & partners in producing the 2025 #BankingOnClimateChaos report, which reveals that fossil fuel financing from the world’s top 65 banks has reached $7.9 TRILLION since 2016. Read the full report at bankingonclimatechaos.org. #DefundClimateChaos

Graphic of a smoke cloud from a power plant with the text overlaid: Over the past 9 years, the world's 65 biggest banks have poured $7.9 trillion into fossil fuels driving climate catastrophes and health impacts around the world. Learn more at BankingonClimateChaos.org

Moira Birss@moira· Jun 15

Outside the Tiffany store in Bay Area suburb Walnut Creek, CA #NoKings