These 5 Resilient Cities Can Teach Us How To Survive The Climate Crisis

THE YEAR 2021 may very well be remembered as the year we woke up to the climate crisis.

Fierce wildfires battered Greece and the western United States, carrying smoke thousands of miles across continents. Floods swept through parts of Germany, killing hundreds. The 2021 hurricane season has been brutal, and it’s not over yet.

In August, the United Nations released a bone-chilling report, linking extreme weather events to human-induced climate change and projecting that they will occur more frequently in the coming decades.

Cities, in particular, are uniquely susceptible to the effects of an escalating climate crisis due to their population density and extensive infrastructure. Very few cities are currently equipped to deal with more frequent extreme weather events, as seen by the devastation of sudden flash floods in New York, New Jersey, and other parts of the northeastern US.

But there are a few cities whose leaders have taken proactive measures to adapt their cities and protect their residents from the climate crisis. These cities serve as models for how we can modify and strengthen our built environments, reduce human suffering, and protect urban centers from the effects of a warming planet…READ ON

After Hurricane Ida, the Map of Louisiana May Never Look the Same Again

Satellite images of Louisiana taken before and after Hurricane Ida show a dramatically altered coastline, with many low-lying areas still inundated with water. Scientists are carefully monitoring the landscape to see how it evolves over time, and whether some changes are permanent.

Hurricane Ida made landfall on August 29—the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The category 4 storm made a mess of Louisiana, battering the state with strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surges. Ida was one of the strongest storms to hit the state, causing mass power outages, wrecking homes and businesses, damaging roads and bridges, and causing 26 deaths in the state…READ ON