Who Holds the Thermostat
"Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Seek air-conditioned shelter." The CDC's heat guidance is correct. It's also written for a protagonist who controls their own thermostat, sets their own schedule, and can walk through any door they choose. For renters with broken AC units, outdoor workers without mandated rest breaks, students in schools with failing HVAC, and incarcerated people in un-air-conditioned cells, the barrier to surviving heat is permission. Someone else holds the thermostat, and no binding instrument requires them to turn it.
Who Holds the Thermostat
"Stay cool. Stay hydrated. Seek air-conditioned shelter." The CDC's heat guidance is correct. It's also written for a protagonist who controls their own thermostat, sets their own schedule, and can walk through any door they choose. For renters with broken AC units, outdoor workers without mandated rest breaks, students in schools with failing HVAC, and incarcerated people in un-air-conditioned cells, the barrier to surviving heat is permission. Someone else holds the thermostat, and no binding instrument requires them to turn it.
Solar Panels, Dead Lawns, and the Word "Reasonable"
A Colorado homeowner stopped watering her dying lawn and replaced it with artificial turf — exactly what her local water district was paying residents to do. Her HOA told her to rip it out. She spent two years in violation of community rules the state legislature would eventually override. At least six states have now passed laws limiting HOA authority over solar panels, xeriscaping, and rainwater collection. But every one of those statutes allows what legislators call "reasonable restrictions," and the distance between protection on paper and approval in practice is where most homeowners actually live.
Solar Panels, Dead Lawns, and the Word "Reasonable"
A Colorado homeowner stopped watering her dying lawn and replaced it with artificial turf — exactly what her local water district was paying residents to do. Her HOA told her to rip it out. She spent two years in violation of community rules the state legislature would eventually override. At least six states have now passed laws limiting HOA authority over solar panels, xeriscaping, and rainwater collection. But every one of those statutes allows what legislators call "reasonable restrictions," and the distance between protection on paper and approval in practice is where most homeowners actually live.
Permission Barriers
The heat in your apartment, the flood zone under your house, the sun on your back during a twelve-hour shift. You carry the climate risk. But adapting to it often requires permission from someone who doesn't share it.
Six categories of permission barriers sit between people and their own climate adaptation. A lease clause, an HOA covenant, an employer's break policy, a building permit, an insurance contract. Not every barrier applies to every situation, and state law reshapes each one depending on where you live. But most people navigating climate risk will recognize at least one gatekeeper on this list.
Knowing which one is yours changes what questions you need to ask next.
