You think the preparations your coastal town are considering making to accommodate rising seal levels are onerous? Well read about the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, who are considering the need to move their entire populace to Fiji.
Brit Liggett reports on the dilemma faced by the 100,000 residents of Kiribati, a nation composed of 32 atolls in the Pacific Ocean, and "one of the first places that will be destroyed if sea levels rise as predicted through this century."
In a desperate, but prudent plan, "Kiribati leaders are currently mulling a major decision to purchase 6,000 acres of land on Fiji's main island for $9.6 million as insurance against a submerged future. If necessary, they could move their entire permanent population of just over 100,000 onto the land in Fiji," writes Liggett.
As the effects of climate change worsen amidst an international deadlock on potential solutions to head off the worst predicted outcomes, the people of Kiribati are surely not the last to have to make such monumental decisions.
Read the full story: Kiribati Island Nation Considers Moving Entire Population to Fiji to Escape Climate Change
As Sea Levels Rise, Some Cities Will Be Saved While Others Will Be Left Behind
U.S. coastal cities need to prepare for the effects of climate change, but the pot of funding is limited. There’s no way around the fact that there will be winners and there will be losers.
Boston’s Seaport District, Where Building Started Before Flood Preparation
The Boston waterfront has been booming, but the area is extremely vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels. Measures to address those risks have come just recently.
As Temperatures Increase, Maps Show Sea-Level Rise Will Devastate Cities
Data visualizations illustrate the catastrophic consequences of single-digit global temperature increases.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority