This is, as they used to say of the installments of Saved By the Bell in which someone got addicted to drugs, a very special episode.
In fact, it’s special for two reasons. Firstly it’s episode 20 (round numbers are cool). Secondly, it’s the first to be supported by our new sponsor, 100 Resilient Cities: an NGO dedicated to helping cities prepare for the challenges of the 21st century.
To celebrate, this week, we’re talking about an issue very close to 100RC’s heart: how coastal cities can deal with rising sea levels.
To discuss this, Stephanie and I are joined by our colleague India Bourke, the office climate expert. She talks us through the latest science, and we debate why, when the Arctic ice sheet is in dramatic decline, we aren’t more frightened.
Then I talk to some of the chief resilience officers in port cities at the front line of the fight to keep cities above water: Arnoud Molenaar of Rotterdam in the Netherlands; and Christine Morris and her deputy Katerina Oskarsson, of Norfolk, Virginia.
They tell me what challenges their cities are facing from the water; what measures they’re taking to defend against them; and how to win the battle for political support.
Some relevant background material. This map, produced for us by Statista, highlights quite how many of the world’s megacities are on the ocast – and how much trouble they’ll be in as the temperature rises:
You can read more here.
And this is the red/blue map I discuss in the podcast, which shows quite how densely populated Bangladesh is:
That red area is a lot of people living in some very low lying land. You can read more here.
The episode itself is below. You can subscribe to the podcast on Acast, iTunes, or RSS. Enjoy.
Skylines is supported by 100 Resilient Cities. Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, 100RC is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century.
You can find out more at its website.
