Posts tagged with 'river flooding'
Cities Need a Systems-change Approach to Build Climate-resilient Communities
Cities Need a Systems-change Approach to Build Climate-resilient Communities
Cities occupy just 3 percent of the Earth’s land, but account for most of the global energy consumption and carbon emissions. Many cities are also more vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters due to their population densities and interconnected infrastructure. ...
Poor Air Quality Isn’t the Only Way Wildfires Affect Cities
Poor Air Quality Isn’t the Only Way Wildfires Affect Cities
Thousands of people in Quebec, Canada evacuated their homes this month due to raging wildfires. More than 400 miles away, New York City experienced its worst air quality in history, and briefly had the worst air quality of any city in the ...
Restoring Degraded Forests Could Bring Back Lost Rainfall, Cooler Temperatures
Restoring Degraded Forests Could Bring Back Lost Rainfall, Cooler Temperatures
Many people point to forest restoration as a way to curb climate change, where replanted forests sequester carbon in trees and soils. But emerging evidence shows that restoration can provide non-carbon climate benefits, too — in particular, reducing heat and regulating rainfall. Here’s what ...
How Forests Near and Far Benefit People in Cities
How Forests Near and Far Benefit People in Cities
A New Yorker may not think about the forested Catskills Mountain Range upstate as she pours a glass of water. Londoners probably don’t consider the Amazon rainforest as they watch the rain falling on city parks. And folks in Addis ...
In Nairobi, Residents Redesign Public Spaces to Build Flood Resilience
In Nairobi, Residents Redesign Public Spaces to Build Flood Resilience
During Caroline Owala’s childhood, flooding during rainstorms was a normal occurrence. “When it rained, it would be very difficult for us to even sleep because the flooding would get into the houses,” she told WRI. Caroline grew up in Kibera, ...
The Number of People Affected by Floods Will Double by 2030
The Number of People Affected by Floods Will Double by 2030
Flooding has already caused more than $1 trillion in losses globally since 1980, and the situation is poised to worsen: New analysis from WRI’s Aqueduct Floods finds that the number of people affected by floods will double worldwide by 2030. According to data from ...
In Gorakhpur, India, Citizens Use Nature to Rein in Floods
In Gorakhpur, India, Citizens Use Nature to Rein in Floods
Monsoon season has always brought torrential downpours to Gorakhpur, India, but the city has seen record-breaking rainfall in the last few years. Residents of the northern Indian city often find their streets submerged in water, their houses waterlogged. Stagnant floodwaters ...
Photo Essay: Poor Communities in Surat, India, Take Climate Resilience into Their Own Hands
Photo Essay: Poor Communities in Surat, India, Take Climate Resilience into Their Own Hands
Urban flooding is a major and growing concern. Japan experienced floods and mudslides that killed more than 120 people last year. The Indian state of Kerala witnessed a 100-year flood that swamped several metropolitan areas. And a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on ...
Kerala Flooding: Natural Calamity or Manmade Disaster?
Kerala Flooding: Natural Calamity or Manmade Disaster?
As India prepared to commemorate its 72nd Independence Day last month, the southern state of Kerala saw little reason to celebrate. The monsoon rainfall this year was heavier than normal and had reached alarming levels. On an average, districts received ...
Climate Refugees Dhaka Bangladesh
The Urgency of Climate Refugees in Dhaka and Beyond
In the next 40 years, climate change is expected to cause 150 million people worldwide to leave their homes and migrate elsewhere. According to a report by the Environmental Justice Foundation, this puts 10 percent of the global population at risk ...
Dhaka Information Settlements
Friday Fun: The daily life of informal settlements in a series of striking new videos
As a filmmaker, writer, and editor, Cassim Shepard is particularly attentive to the many complex ways that rapid global urbanization is affecting people at a very fundamental level—what they see, feel, and do in daily city life. Commissioned by Design ...
River Flooding in Bangkok, Thailand
Why cities need to address river flooding now
Cities contribute 70 percent of the world’s energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and play an essential role in climate change mitigation. However, since average global temperatures are already rising and the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly palpable around the world, ...
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