This time, from WGBH: Rising Sea Levels Threaten Massachusetts Coast, Sea Walls There’s no question about it. Sea levels are rising. 65 acres of Massachusetts coastline is taken back by the sea each year. Over the last century, ocean waters have crept up a full foot along the New England coast and new research shows […]
Tag Archives | adaptation & mitigation
Radio Show Clip on Sea Level Rise in New England
Posted on April 5, 2011
From WBUR.org: “Many Worry About Rising Sea Levels In The Northeast” (Click on the “listen now” button, then skip to 4:15.) Not a lot of good news here, but interesting to see how the “retreat” option is now a standard part of these discussions. Could we be seeing the start of a mind-shift?
Winthrop Struggles with Failing Seawall
Posted on April 4, 2011
The Boston Globe reports on the continuing struggle Winthrop has with its aging and failing seawall along Winthrop Beach. While funding has been secured to rebuild the beach, concerns over the effects of gathering sediment from off-shore has stymied that approach, and the alternative—trucking sand in—would mean a huge influx of traffic (an estimated 33,000 […]
Four New Case Studies on Climate Change Adaptation for Water Utilities
Posted on March 29, 2011
Tying in with their Climate Ready Water Utilities program, the EPA has released four case studies looking at specific adaptation steps communities are taking. The communities are East Bay (CA), New York City, Seattle (WA), and Spartanburg (SC). You can download the case study from EPA’s website.
EPA Launches Climate Ready Water Utilities
Posted on March 10, 2011
EPA has released another set of tools to help communities adapt to climate change: this time they’re focusing on water and wastewater utilities. If you only have a moment, start with the Climate Ready Water Utilities Toolbox. I know—another toolkit. But the EPA has taken an interesting strategy to address the primary challenge of toolkits: […]
FEMA Releases Wind Retrofiting Guide
Posted on March 7, 2011
FEMA has released a new publication on how to best retrofit existing residential buildings. While it was designed with the Gulf of Mexico in mind, it should be applicable for coastal areas around the country (or at least those subject to major wind). You can download the (large) PDF directly from FEMA’s website.
Sea Level Rise and Beaches: Not a Pretty Combination
Posted on March 4, 2011
Orrin Pilkey, always a lightening-rod for coastal climate change issues, has written a gloomy forecast for the world’s beaches, and has the photos to justify his positions. He acknowledges that predicting the effects of sea level rise on beaches is complex, and that results will vary greatly depending on many factors. But overall, the picture […]
New Research on the Benefits and Detriments of Coastal Armoring
Posted on March 4, 2011
A new paper looking at structural shore protection in Massachusetts and Hawaii finds a few things to like, and a lot to cause consternation. Among the benefits: Stabilizes the upland Protects infrastructure Maintains property values for some . . . And the detriments: Source sediment impoundment resulting in increased erosion of the fronting and adjacent […]
Do Sea Walls Cause more Harm than Good? More Evidence Suggests Yes
Posted on January 10, 2011
A new article reiterates that seawalls may increase erosion rates of beaches, so while they (temporarily) protect what’s behind them, it’s at the expense of the beach in front of them. “We thought we could engineer and control nature by these techniques, but you’re fighting a losing battle,” [Rick Murray of Scituate] said. “And the […]
UN Program Tries to Make Cities More Climate Ready
Posted on December 7, 2010
No targeting funding for communities, but the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction may help with coordination. For more info, see the United Nations Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready website.