# Big Cities Need to Act on Climate Change



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ Only hipsters or tree huggers would get "proud" or having to cycle to work because they can't afford motorized commute (in whatever form).


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## Talbot (Jul 13, 2004)

Suburbanist, you are the true representative of what Reich.. I mean Right Politics believes.. and it scares the crap out of me.

Sometimes, you are so ridiculous that I can't even tell if you are serious or just here to troll.


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## mhays (Sep 12, 2002)

Or maybe he's a devil's advocate, here to train us in how to detail with the talk radio types.


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## Ocean Railroader (Jun 18, 2011)

The word Sea Level rise is been made into a cruse word in North Carolina in that the legislature doesn't want the coastal property laws to change. But as for the ocean it will keep on rising with or without some law telling it not to rise any faster than it did in the 1800's.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Obama plan offers help to U.S. cities on climate's front lines*

WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's climate plan on Tuesday offered help to U.S. cities dealing with natural disasters and specifically for the region slammed by massive Superstorm Sandy in October.

For Dawn Zimmer, mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey the plan came not a moment too soon.

Hoboken, across the Hudson River from Manhattan, was in the bull's eye of Sandy last October, when storm surges flooded 80 percent of the city, causing $100 million in property damage to 1,700 homes and hundreds of businesses. Since then, the city of 52,000 has weathered three more major flood events.

"For me, this is an emergency," Zimmer said. "Whether you believe in (climate change) or not, and I definitely do, we're seeing the impact of it on the local level."

In addition to proposals to cut pollution from power plants and boost fuel efficiency, the White House on Tuesday directed federal agencies to cut bureaucratic red tape to support local climate-resilient investment.

Obama's plan also sets up pilot projects for areas hit by Sandy to make communities better able to deal with extreme weather and other climate impacts.

Zimmer is among dozens of U.S. mayors who have taken on the challenges of climate resilience - to heat, drought, flood and extreme weather - as an economic and public safety necessity.

Last week, more than 50 elected officials from localities as diverse as Washington D.C., Des Moines, Iowa and Santa Barbara County, California, released a plan (online at) to make communities better able to deal with climate impacts that included using more renewable energy and making buildings and infrastructure more energy-efficient.

"NO-BRAINER"

This initiative was launched less than a week after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a $20 billion plan to prepare his city for rising sea levels and hotter summers.

Rosina Bierbaum, an expert on climate change adaptation at the University of Michigan and a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, said local leaders have consistently been at the forefront on these issues.

"The rubber really hits the road in cities...Mayors are having to deal with heat waves, droughts, floods, all of the above, and they're making adjustments in real time," Bierbaum said by telephone.

While the required action may be local, some of the data communities need, such as climate projections, can only be done at the federal level, Bierbaum said.

Bierbaum and other climate experts have long maintained that climate resilience, or adapting to altered conditions, must be done along with mitigation of climate change, which aims to curb the rate at which the global temperatures rise.

In the absence of mitigation, though, working to adapt to changed circumstances "is a no-brainer," said Stuart Gaffin, a research scientist at Columbia University's Earth Institute.

"It's amazing how much more traction (climate resilience) has on all levels," Gaffin said by phone. This is especially true in cities, he said, because urban areas are already dealing with the effects of a changing climate, and Superstorm Sandy was a wake-up call for many cities.


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## Isopropyl (Oct 2, 2012)

I don't know if climate change is real or not. But for a country like ours, we've felt how the typhoons become more frequent and stronger. Typhoon Rammasun has just exited Philippine Area of Responsibility but another tropical depression is looming and is thought to become another typhoon that will hit us in the next few days. That's two typhoons in less than two weeks! Not to mention that we haven't recovered yet from typhoon Haiyan. We have no choice but to adapt and live with it. hno:

Here's how strong the winds were when typhoon Rammasun hit the capital.






**Typhoon Glenda is the local name for Typhoon Rammasun


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## Keystone Properties (Jul 21, 2014)

Reducing the unwanted use of paper is something we all should consider. Trees are the source of beauty and other benefits to the earth, yet we all know that paper making consumes the beauty of our earth. So let the paper-use be wise.


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## Miami High Rise (Feb 15, 2011)

I'm going to quote and copy this here from the Miami forum, it's freely licensed images of this year's "king tide" event around Miami/South Florida. 



Miami High Rise said:


> Here are some photos of this year's king tide event. Basically most of SOBE stayed dry, except for just two blocks north of Lincoln Road all the way to the west just below the collins /dade blvd canal. Mobile pumps were brought in but it was too late because the street flooded several times until it finally filled this garage on Oct 12 for the pm tide.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Miami High Rise (Feb 15, 2011)

Miami High Rise said:


> Okay so back to the beach, here it is on October 11 and early am on October 12, the day and am tide before it flooded to the garage. It reached the 0 point, just barely topping the sidewalk by a millimeter, flowing in only in a sheet. The tides were running over a foot above predictions this year as well as last year 2015 during the "blood moon" king tide. Assuming the next tide would also be about equally as much above prediction, I knew this garage was going to flood. I warned a resident but there is no manager per se in such a small bs condo, so I just asked him to pass the message. He did or he didn't but either way it flooded as predicted with many vehicles in the garage.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


second post


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## Miami High Rise (Feb 15, 2011)

Miami High Rise said:


> ^^^
> Cont'd from last page
> 
> So the electric pumps work for most of the beach, but just Lincoln Court and Bay Road basically from Lincoln road up to the canal don't have "active drains" yet, and the seawalls, new and old, leak in real time so to speak. They are so leaky there is no delay in the water level on either side. As soon as that garage flooded, they brought in some mobile pumps which slammed the water back into the canal, so despite some of the next days' tides being stronger, and there being a heavy rain at the highest tide, it did not flood catastrophically again. There are several other half underground (meaning natural and not water tight ala BCC, Jade Signature (3 levels, 50 ft underground right on the beach!, Downtown Dadeland) garages that were on the cusp of flooding. One is one block over from this building, and the other is the Charter Club on 36 Street in Edgewater. The latter had seawater coming up to and just over the floor level, but not high enough for alarm.
> ...


third post


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## Miami High Rise (Feb 15, 2011)

Miami High Rise said:


> I didn't catch any of the FTL / Broward tides at their peak, but here are some one offs that are still decent, and show how many areas are at the cusp:
> 
> Okay these are Flickr but again, these particularly are public domain there is no need to credit.
> 
> ...


^^ 
So what that's about is that Florida which is known for it's political problems is at the forefront of risk from sea level rise (SLR) in the United States, which is one of the biggest problematic effects of climate change (CC), a variety of man made impacts to Earth formerly referred to as just anthropocentric global warming (AGW). Florida is the third most populous state in the US, but remains generally much more backwards and conservative than many other states, and is known for state and local politicians who baldly deny AGW, CC, SLR, etc.


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## Eric Offereins (Jan 1, 2004)

^^ It is quite cynical that politicians in a state threatened by sea level rise are still stupidly in denial.


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## The Polwoman (Feb 21, 2016)

I think that with the rise of Trump and other populist leaders worldwide not being concerned about climate change cities more and more need to act themselves. And now is the turn especially for US cities as any plans may lose federal support in the months after January 20, 2017. Not that I'm opposed to alternative or populist leaders, but refering to the snow laying outside and using this reference for the global climate is bogus.


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## Miami High Rise (Feb 15, 2011)

These king tides are happening again for a second month starting today through the next week or so. 
Whether they are equally bad depends on them either running more than a foot above normal (since nominally 
they will be slightly lower), or heavy rain, which greatly exacerbated one of the tidal floods seen above. 

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/w...imezone=LST/LDT&datum=MLLW&interval=6&action=

Monday is the "supermoon" of decades. Not seen since 1947 and not again till 2034. It might make a 
small difference in the extra high tides, but should not be counted as the reason for them.

Basically about 4 ft MLLW/3 ft MSL/2 ft NAVD88, or 1.8 ft MHHW is where the flooding gets intense and widespread. 
3/2/1/8 ft is about where it noticeably starts. So that shows you how sensitive it is. In Miami where the average 
tide range is less than two feet (well under a single meter), it comes down to inches, not feet. Often Miami is slightly 
overlooked as NYC is often ranked first in sea level rise and hurricane risk assessment, because that goes by money 
and NYC has way more people and much high real estate value. But New York's nominal "elevation" is 10 meters.
33 feet. In Miami at least 90% of the 10,000 sq mile metro area is under 10 feet/3 meters, and many square miles are below
3 feet/1 meter. That's why New York is less shows on those dramatic SLR map photos, because it takes a lot to take out big
chunks of Midtown, where the elevation is like 60 feet (why 432 PA is basically taller than 1WTC in many ways). And when
they show NYC, it's a dramatic SLR scenario they show, 10 feet plus. With 10 feet, Miami is literally, existentially, non-
extant.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Oct. 6, 2017
*Buffeted but not sunk: Paris resilience plan tackles inequity and climate change*
_Excerpt_

BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Paris plans to turn its school playgrounds into public “oases” offering cool, green spaces for children and parents alike as climate change ratchets up extreme heat and rainfall, just one of 35 actions in a new urban plan for the French capital.

Other programs will seek to strengthen ties between Paris and the surrounding countryside whose fields feed the city, create groups of residents trained to respond in emergencies and lead community events, and transform the Paris ring road and the motorways leading to it.

The Paris resilience strategy, approved by the city council in late September and launched this week, draws on the capital’s motto “Fluctuat nec mergitur”, Latin for “buffeted (by the waves) but not sunk”.

Sébastien Maire, the city’s chief resilience officer, said the motto - which has been used for centuries - came back into common parlance after the 1910 flood that swamped Paris, and again after militant attacks in November 2015 killed 130 people.

In between, the expression slipped from memories as people placed their faith in technology to solve the world’s ills in the late 20th century, he said. Now with growing waves of migration and climate change bringing more extreme weather, the need for resilience is firmly back on Parisians’ agenda.

“There are fears about the future - and what the resilience approach proposes is to reassure and protect the population, saying that we are going to face many challenges, but whatever they are, we’re going to adapt ourselves,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “It is a positive approach.”

The new strategy, drafted with support from the global 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) network, aims to turn risks such as floods and air pollution into opportunities, said Maire.

For example, Paris has 700 schoolyards covering more than 600,000 square meters of land, made largely of concrete. When heatwaves hit, as they are predicted to do with increasing frequency and ferocity, students can’t go outside as it is too hot and streets swelter amid the “heat island effect”.


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## gibert (Nov 8, 2017)

hkskyline said:


> Oct. 6, 2017
> *Buffeted but not sunk: Paris resilience plan tackles inequity and climate change*
> _Excerpt_
> 
> ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92CfJaN_C7w
^^


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Jan 10, 2018
*Warming will put millions more at flood risk in next 20 years: scientists*
_Excerpt_

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Unless countries urgently boost their flood defenses, millions more people will be at risk from river flooding in the next 20 years as global warming increases the likelihood of severe rainfall, scientists said on Wednesday.

In Asia, the numbers at risk will more than double to 156 million, up from 70 million, with India, China and Indonesia among the worst-affected countries, according to a study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

The numbers at risk in South America also will double, to 12 million, and Africa will see a rise to 34 million facing flooding threats, up from 25 million, the researchers said.

However, the actual number of people at risk is likely to be higher than the scientists’ predictions, as the estimates do not take into account population growth or more people moving to areas at risk of flooding, scientists said.

The United States and parts of Europe also will need to make major investments in flood protection - such as improving river *****, river management and building standards, or relocating people - to prevent a rise in the numbers of people facing flooding.

“More than half of the United States must at least double their protection level within the next two decades if they want to avoid a dramatic increase in river flood risks,” Sven Willner, from the Germany-based Potsdam Institute, said in a statement.

Global warming increases the risk of flooding because the amount of rain that can fall during an extreme downpour “increases exponentially” as temperatures rise, Anders Levermann, also of the Potsdam Institute, said in an interview.

Global temperatures have already risen by more than 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and are expected to continue rising.

Countries committed in 2015 to try to hold global temperature rise to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius, but the world is currently on track for more than 3 degrees Celsius of warming, a level expected cause much more extreme and unpredictable weather, and to cause worsening crop failures and more migration.

“This is already something we have caused ... and we have to adapt to now,” Levermann said. “Doing nothing will be dangerous.”

Although river floods may seem less dramatic than hurricanes and cyclones, they can inflict serious damage. Last year, Peru experienced its worst flooding in decades, causing up to $9 billion in damage.

More : https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...isk-in-next-20-years-scientists-idUSKBN1EZ2JE


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## hoosier (Apr 11, 2007)

It is already too late. It took only two hundred years for mankind to completely wreck the planet it relies on to survive. Pathetic.


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## alexandru.mircea (May 18, 2011)

^ From what I read the majority of the emissions have happened since the 80s, which is quite shocking...


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## alexandru.mircea (May 18, 2011)

*London breaches air pollution limits for 2018*

London has breached air pollution limits for the whole year, just 31 days into 2018.

The limits were broken on Brixton Road, Lambeth on 31 January. Under EU rules, a limit of 200 μg/m3 cannot be broken for more than 18 hours in a calendar year.

*Last year the limit was broken by the fifth day.*

[...]

https://www.clientearth.org/london-breaches-air-pollution-limits-2018/


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## JaniceCribb (Mar 7, 2018)

An ocean or river current that moves at 6 MPH has as much force as a 160 MPH windstorm, a Fluid Dynamics professor said on CBS News.
I grew up in Atlantic City and nearby Margate, never more than 200 yards from the beach. The 1944 storm removed 11 blocks of Longport, the southern tip of the island Atlantic City sits upon. In 1956 my family watched a neighbor's roof blow up up and away in Margate, chased by our small boardwalk. In 1962 the National Guard there shot in the leg a homeowner who broke the curfew, shocking everyone.
2 of my siblings and 5 of my cousins & families live there still. Ventnor was still closed on Fri. morning because of a malfunctioning sewerage system.
The Jersey Shore is absurdly overdeveloped. Condos & tract housing since the 1950s on reclaimed marsh lands from Rumson to Cape May is tacky sprawl. The floor-area ratio of homes in overbuilt towns such as Brigantine and Avalon and Barnegat has paved over "the shore" and stressed the environment. NJ passed CAFRA regs. long before 1978's gambling debut. The buildout of existing towns driven by 40,000 casino employees in A.C.'s heyday was unforeseen then. Today, 27% of Atlantic Citians live beneath the Federal poverty level, but the nearby towns grew and development increased..
In Ocean City and Long Beach Island the highest point in town is the pitcher's mound at the ballfield. Short of the polder system emplaced near Rotterdam, Holland, NJ can have NO defense against oceanfront storms.


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## Miami High Rise (Feb 15, 2011)

*Miami sans Beach*

The big Nor'easter that just hit New England made amazing surf waves and high water levels in South Florida, removing a lot of the beach 
and flooding the coasts:

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/03/05/massive-waves-sand-water-dania-beach/

Massive Waves Push Sand, Water Inland And Cause Flooding Issues In Dania Beach



> DANIA BEACH (CBSMiami) – A coastal flood warning is in effect for Broward County through Tuesday.
> 
> For Dania Beach it’s been quite a mess as the water is overtaking parts of the beach.
> 
> ...





> Dania’s assistant city manager office told CBS4 they’ve only seen something like this during a hurricane and perhaps during
> a king tide (Fall). Never in March though.


Water Levels running very high. 
https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/w...12&timezone=GMT&datum=MLLW&interval=6&action=


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## Miami High Rise (Feb 15, 2011)

*All seven continents warm*

Recently, just casually keeping tabs on weather in several places I've noticed that nearly everywhere you look is above to well above average. 

From New York to Miami to Colorado to San Diego to the Pacific NW to Cape Town to Melbourne to Longyearbyen in the Arctic Circle (where seed vault is),
to the Antarctic Peninsula, to Phoenix, to Almaty, to Northern Europe which is having a rare severe drought right now, to Izmir, to Innsbruck, to Jakarta,
to Tokyo/south Japan, to Queenstown, to Qatar, to Shanghai, to Toronto, to Uttar Pradesh which has extreme heat and humidity pushing survivable levels,
to Vancouver, to Washington DC with consistent tropical nights, to Xi'an which is having solid 100/80 days vs 90/70 normals, to Yichang, to Zurich. 

Other places are at least on par such as Chiang Rai, Dubai, Jeddah, Khasab, Santiago, 
and Galveston, which earlier this year was way above avg humidity with 80 degree dew points.

Quito Ecuador is lonely on the cool side. South America is the continent with the least strong trend and even has some cool spots. 

This controls for things like urban heat island as many locales are not urban, or they are seaside, have strong winds, or are not growing. Also, 
it works for the areas between these spots, such as the central US or Europe in general. 
So this period should show as almost all red on those global time loops that show temps with red/blue shades over time. I suppose there are some 
oceanic cool spots like the Greenland cold blob, etc.

Time and space consideration: this post relates mainly to July and Summer 2018 on planet Earth.


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## snot (May 12, 2004)

*Judge Throws Out New York Climate Lawsuit*



> ...
> A federal judge has rejected New York City’s lawsuit to make fossil fuel companies help pay the costs of dealing with climate change.
> 
> Judge John F. Keenan of United States District Court for the Southern District of New York wrote that climate change must be addressed by the executive branch and Congress, not by the courts.
> ...


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## VariusDif (Feb 6, 2017)

snot said:


> *Judge Throws Out New York Climate Lawsuit*



So basically, they're just saying "someone else's problem"...


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Waikiki flood concerns spur push for Hawaii shore protection*
22 April 2019

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's iconic Waikiki Beach could soon be underwater as rising sea levels caused by climate change overtake its white sand beaches and bustling city streets.

Predicting Honolulu will start experiencing frequent flooding within the next 15 to 20 years, state lawmakers are trying to pass legislation that would spend millions for a coastline protection program aimed at defending the city from regular tidal inundations.

The highest tides of recent years have sent seawater flowing across Waikiki Beach and onto roads and sidewalks lining its main thoroughfare, and interactive maps of the Hawaiian Islands show that many parts of the state are expected to be hit by extensive flooding, coastal erosion and loss of infrastructure in coming decades.

That's an alarming scenario for a state where beach tourism is the primary driver of the economy, leading some lawmakers to insist that planning for rising tides should start now.

"The latest data on sea level rise is quite scary and it's accelerating faster than we ever thought possible," said state Rep. Chris Lee, a Democrat and lead author of a bill calling for the creation and implementation of the shoreline protection plan. The project would focus on urban Honolulu but act as a pilot program for other coastal communities around the state.

While Hawaii is rarely subjected to direct hurricane hits, Lee's bill says warmer oceans will increase that risk by creating "more hurricanes of increasing intensity" — and estimates the impact of a major hurricane making landfall at $40 billion.

"The loss of coastal property and infrastructure, increased cost for storm damage and insurance, and loss of life are inevitable if nothing is done, which will add a significant burden to local taxpayers, the state's economy, and way of life," says Lee's bill, which is similar to action taken by New York City after a storm surge from Superstorm Sandy led to $19 billion in damage in 2012.

The Hawaii measure proposes sinking $4 million into the program's development over the next two years. The bill also seeks more research into a carbon tax that might raise funds and lower the state's dependence on fossil fuels.

More : https://www.apnews.com/9006499dcb6a4978bdb1d14063750550


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## danielio (May 14, 2019)

Big cities should also consider solar energy more both in their buildings and transportation.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Indian cities urged to develop heat action plans as temperatures soar*
_Excerpt_
14 June 2019

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More Indian cities need to implement heat action plans that include text-message alerts and cooling stations, to minimise deaths and illnesses related to rising temperatures, climate change experts and human rights activists said on Friday.

At least 36 people have died from a heatwave this year, with the nation's capital Delhi recording its highest-ever temperature of 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit), and temperatures in Churu in Rajasthan state hitting 51C.

Cities experience higher temperatures because paved surfaces and the lack of tree cover cause "urban heat islands", said Sayantan Sarkar, who helped implement India's first Heat Action Plan (HAP) in Ahmedabad in 2013.

"Cities bear the brunt of a heatwave because they are so densely populated, and because the effects are more pronounced," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"But not all cities have the capacity to implement the measures needed, and the lack of comprehensive medical records makes it harder to target vulnerable groups such as the homeless and migrant workers," he said.

Heatwaves in India typically occur in the pre-monsoon period from April to June.

Ahmedabad implemented its HAP after a heatwave in 2010 caused more than 1,300 heat-related deaths.

The plan included an early warning system using electronic displays in public places and text messages, training medical personnel to recognise and respond to heat-related illnesses, and "cool roofs" that used reflective surfaces or coatings to reduce temperatures in low-income and informal housing.

Since its launch, the HAP has helped prevented about 1,100 deaths each year in Ahmedabad, according to a study published last year.

More : https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...tion-plans-as-temperatures-soar-idUSKCN1TF0NF


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## casuario (Jun 5, 2019)

If big cities acted in a serious manner, it would definitely help fight climate change!


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## DrDrodzak (Jun 22, 2019)

Poland need some climate agreements so far. Only coal on event horizon so far...


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Nov 13, 2019
*Climate change blamed as floods overwhelm Venice, swamping basilica and squares*
_Excerpt_

VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - Venice’s mayor declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after “apocalyptic” floods swept through the lagoon city, flooding its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings.

Thoroughfares were turned into raging torrents, stone balustrades were shattered, boats tossed ashore and gondolas smashed against their moorings as the lagoon tide peaked at 187 cm (6ft 2ins) shortly before midnight.

It was the highest level since the record 194 cm set in 1966 but with rising water levels becoming a regular threat to the tourist jewel, city mayor Luigi Brugnaro was quick to blame climate change for the disaster.

“Venice is on its knees,” said Brugnaro. “The damage will run into hundreds of millions of euros.”

“This is the result of climate change,” he said on Twitter.

The floods, accentuated by driving rains and strong winds, also ravaged areas beyond the city itself.

More : https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...e-swamping-basilica-and-squares-idUSKBN1XM2Y5


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Salty water in Bangkok is new 'reality' as sea pushes farther inland *
_Excerpt_

BANGKOK, Jan 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Thai authorities are trucking drinking water to parts of Bangkok and urging residents to shower less as a worsening drought and rising sea levels have increased salinity, a growing risk faced by many Asian cities, climate researchers said.

Bangkok's water authority said the capital's tap water was becoming saline as seawater pushed up the depleted Chao Phraya river, a source of much of central Thailand's water.

Prime Minister Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha this week asked the public to save water by taking shorter showers.

Making matters worse, Thailand's dry season began in November and usually lasts through April, but this year authorities said it could last until June and drought has been declared in 14 provinces.

The drought conditions have worsened saltwater intrusion, which can have major impacts on farming and on health as drinking water is contaminated, said Suppakorn Chinvanno, a climate expert at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

"It is becoming a more serious issue, with the intrusion coming farther inland this year and earlier in the season," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"It will have a serious impact on agriculture in the region, as rice is a very water-intensive crop," he said.

More : https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ty-as-sea-pushes-farther-inland-idUSKBN1Z90V3


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* As Jakarta sinks and the Indonesian government prepares to move, what does the future hold for the city’s poor? *
April 10, 2020
South China Morning Post _Excerpt_

Yayan Suprianto surveys the floodwater surrounding his house of wooden planks and a corroded tin roof in Kampung Teko, “kampung” being a catchword for urban slums. He is part of a community of 300 people in what is considered the only “floating village” in Jakarta, the world’s second-most populous urban area after Tokyo.

Perched above what used to be lush paddy fields, Yayan’s shack spills over support poles driven deep into the mud. It is surrounded by algae and discarded plastic and the water is contaminated by industrial waste from nearby factories.

Yayan is a factory worker from western Java who, like millions of Indonesians, came to the capital in search of employment and a better life. But now he worries his house could soon become fully submerged. “We probably have to move back to our village,” he says.

The government has invested in pumps, but “the water rises every year”, Yayan says. “Before, we used to have floods only during the rainy season, but now they come more frequently.”

Jakarta is sinking. Forty per cent of the city now lies below sea level and it is sinking at different rates in different places, from 1cm a year up to 25cm in the worst affected northern areas, near the coast. The problem is so severe that it is one of the reasons that Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced the capital would be relocated to a new site in East Kalimantan, on Borneo, last August, with construction possibly due to begin this year. Even so, many people believe Jakarta will remain Indonesia’s business and financial hub.

Jakarta is not the only coastal city in trouble. Also facing rising sea levels, more frequent rains and stronger storms are the likes of Bangkok, Dhaka, Houston, Lagos and Venice. But Jakarta is sinking fastest.

More : As Jakarta sinks, what does the future hold for the city’s poor?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Venice tests long-delayed flood barrier months after waters swamped city *
Reuters _Excerpt_
July 10, 2020

VENICE, Italy - Venice tested its long-delayed flood barriers on Friday, in a public demonstration of the strength of the defences months after rising tidal waters swamped its historic canals, squares and palaces.

The multi-billion-euro Mose scheme - designed in 1984 but still incomplete a decade after it was due to come into service - has been plagued by corruption and cost overruns.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attended the test and started the computerised system that sent all 78 giant yellow sluice gates rising simultaneously above the water for the first time.

“We are here for a test, not a parade,” Conte said, as crowds protesting against the giant cruise ships that normally disgorge thousands of sightseers daily were kept at a safe distance.

The coronavirus crisis has now brought such mass tourism to a temporary standstill.

Conte acknowledged the “disgraceful” corruption that had dogged the project, but said it was now time for everyone, including protesters, to look forwards.

More : Venice tests long-delayed flood barrier months after waters swamped city


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Eat or stay cool? Cities test ways to protect the poor from rising heat *
_Excerpt_ 

LONDON, July 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From spray parks in water-short Cape Town to heat-reflecting pavements in Tokyo, cities around the world that face worsening heatwaves as the planet warms are rapidly adopting innovations to try to beat increasingly deadly heat.

But ensuring the measures help those most at risk remains a challenge, for reasons ranging from racial discrimination to funding and policy deficits, as well as misperceptions about who is most vulnerable and where, heat experts said this week.

In New York, for instance, most deaths from heat stress occur at home, Kizzy Charles-Guzman, deputy director of the city mayor's resiliency office, told an online event run by the non-profit Global Heat Health Information Network.

With television reports on heat risks often featuring images of sweating joggers or outdoor workers, many people do not realise they also threatened inside, she said.

The elderly, disabled and those hesitant to leave home may be unable or unwilling to go to parks or cooling centres - and many lack air-conditioners or the money to run them, putting them at particularly high risk.

Curbing rising heat deaths will require focusing efforts and money on the most vulnerable - particularly in marginalised poor neighbourhoods, Charles-Guzman said. 

More : Eat or stay cool? Cities test ways to protect the poor from rising heat


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* From LA to Oslo, 12 cities pledge to divest from fossil fuel *
_Excerpt_
Sep 22, 2020

BERLIN (AP) — Ten cities around the world on Tuesday joined New York and London in committing to divest from fossil fuel companies as part of efforts to combat climate change.

Berlin, Cape Town, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Oslo and others pledged to take “all possible steps to divest city assets from fossil fuel companies and (increase) financial investments in climate solutions.”

The cities that have a total of 36 million residents — which also include Bristol, Durban, Milan, Pittsburgh and Vancouver — said they will ensure that pension funds and other public money will be invested in “a green and just recovery from COVID-19."

More : From LA to Oslo, 12 cities pledge to divest from fossil fuel


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* High tide floods Venice as dike-on-demand wasn’t activated *
AP _Excerpt_
Dec 8, 2020

High tides flooded St. Mark’s Square in Venice on Tuesday, propelled by winds that were stronger than predicted, and an experimental system of inflatable barriers wasn’t activated to prevent water from invading the lagoon city.

The system, while still in an experimental phase, gets activated when high tides are predicted to reach at least 1.3 meters (4 feet, 4 inches). Tuesday’s tide was predicted to reach 1.25 meters. Instead, it kept rising, to a height of 1.38 meters, in late afternoon.

Some shops were flooded, and Venetians waded in water as they scrambled to set out raised walkways. Damage to shops and other business was destined to compound the suffering already sharply felt in Venice’s economy by tourism largely washed away by the pandemic. 

More : High tide floods Venice as dike-on-demand wasn't activated


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## Eric Offereins (Jan 1, 2004)

In Rotterdam, construction of the UN Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is well underway. True to the theme of climate adaptation, it will be a floating office. 










source and more information:








Rotterdam's harbor will host a floating timber office building


Powerhouse Company has revealed a floating timber office building for the Global Centre on Adaptation, which will soon land in Rotterdam.




www.archpaper.com





some updates:


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* How are Europe’s cities adapting to climate change and moving to a sustainable future? *
European Environment Agency Article _Excerpt_ 
March 17, 2021

The new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, recently adopted by the European Commission, proposes actions that enhance knowledge on adaptation, so that we can gather more and better data on climate-related risks and losses. This relates directly to ClimateADAPT, the European platform for adaptation knowledge, hosted and developed by the EEA.

ClimateADAPT includes a number of best practices from cities that have been dealing with adaptation measures. What is new is the full recognition in the EU strategy that adaptation requires plans and actions at all levels of governance. It highlights priorities recognizing local adaptation action, the use of nature-based solutions for adaptation and integrating adaptation concerns in macro-fiscal policy. The way cities operate has been fully recognised in our report “Urban sustainability in Europe – What is driving cities’ environmental change”, which will be published in the coming weeks. Together with the report, we will release a short briefing which gives an initial overview of key impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on sustainability efforts in cities.

What are the key takeaways from this new report?

The EEA has been working on urban topics for a long time. This has been done with a thematic approach, meaning the evolution of patterns like urbanisation and pollution or urban air quality, noise pollution and climate change adaptation in cities. The new report is a first in a series of assessments that addresses the urban contribution to environmental targets in an integrated way. This particular report addresses cities directly – via a survey and interviews – to understand what is driving urban environmental change as a component of urban transitions to a more sustainable society. It is an exploratory piece of work that constitutes a benchmark on how cities evaluate key drivers of and barriers to urban sustainability transitions.

More : https://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/how-are-europes-cities-adapting


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Asia accounts for 99 out of 100 top cities facing the biggest environmental risks *
May 14, 2021
CNBC _Excerpt_ 

Asian cities are facing the greatest risks from environmental hazards including extreme heat, climate change and natural disasters, according to a new report from Verisk Maplecroft.

Among the 100 cities most at risk, 99 of them are in Asia — with 37 in China and 43 in India.

Globally, the report found 414 cities across the world, with a population of more than 1 million each, are vulnerable to pollution, dwindling water supplies, extreme heat, natural hazards and climate change. Collectively, those cities are home to 1.4 billion people.

Here are the top riskiest cities in the world, according to Verisk Maplecroft.
1. Jakarta, Indonesia
2. Delhi, India
3. Chennai, India
4. Surabaya, Indonesia
5. Chandigarh, India
6. Agra, India
7. Meerut, India
8. Bandung, Indonesia
9. Aligarh, India
10. Kanpur, India

More : Asia accounts for 99 out of 100 top cities facing the biggest environmental risks


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