Hard truths from a local official facing sea level rise in his community. “Fighting a losing battle with the sea” The Boston Globe
Tag Archives | weather & climate
EPA Launches Climate Ready Water Utilities
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: […]
Sea Level Rise and Beaches: Not a Pretty Combination
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 […]
UN Program Tries to Make Cities More Climate Ready
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.
New Climate Change Adaptation Tools
Last month, ICLEI (founded as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, but now going by “ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability”) released some new tools as part of their new climate adaptation program for local governments. While the program isn’t specifically targeting coastal communities, most of the resources they’re sharing will be useful for those working […]
While the Debate Continues, Sea Levels Keep Rising [CASE STUDY]
Interesting article on how one town (Norfolk, VA) is struggling with rising sea levels and shrinking budgets. If only this were a novel conundrum. . . . “Front-Line City in Virginia Tackles Rise in Sea“.
New Hurricane Science and Society Website
The University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography launched a new website this week: Hurricanes: Science and Society. The site has loads of information on the science of hurricanes, methods of observing hurricanes, and modeling and forecasting of hurricanes. In addition to in-depth science content, the website includes educational resources, case studies, and a […]
Quick and Easy Way to Create Storm Surge Maps
They’re not precise enough to use for planning purposes, but the National Hurricane Center has created a neat tool to show projections for where hurricanes are likely to drive storm surge. Using it is as easy as visiting their Storm Surge Interactive Risk Maps webpage, selecting a category of storm (1-5) you’d like to see […]
New Free Webinar on Climate Change Adaptation for Local Governments
Just got this press release announcing that EPA will continue a promising-looking webcast series designed to help local governments adapt to climate change. While the blurb doesn’t say the program is specifically targeting coastal communities, it seems likely that much if not all of what they discuss will apply to all of us abutting the […]
Webinar Series Includes Presentation on "Sea Level Rise and Property Rights"
The International Submerged Lands Management has announced its new conference dates. Unlike most conferences, this one takes place on your computer, so those of us with limited travel budgets can still participate. You can find a schedule of all the conference’s events on their website (and we’ll add the lot to the StormSmart Coasts Calendar), […]