Delta Blues: Water and Climate Change from the Mississippi to the Mekong

To address increased tidal flooding on its shoreline, Stonington, Connecticut, is sticking to a simple principle: "Where possible, work with nature not against it.” Volunteers plant native plants, helping to restore and expand the former salt marsh, which naturally absorbs water.

Designing room for rivers and coastlines can mitigate catastrophe. Following a massive flood in 1953, the Dutch government reallocated its resources toward disaster prevention and mitigation. Through measures like building surge barriers and reservoirs into recreational spaces, the Dutch have moved implemented defensive design methods. Additionally, by lowering some dykes, practices have moved from flood control to controlled flooding. The Dutch Water Ambassador serves a global role advising the UN and other countries about the Dutch engineering and design methods.

At a factory in Mumbai, clever design and “resilient architecture” join together to form the “Concrete Void,” a space designed to hold water during India’s monsoon season. Rather than trying to keep the water out, the architect designed the factory such that this Concrete Void, positioned below the higher level of the factory, holds water in the rainy season. In the off-season, it functions as an amphitheater space for workers to gather. As climate change becomes more of a threat, more types of this resilient architecture are expected to be created.

Copenhagen, Hoboken, and other cities have implemented "sponge city" approaches that combine nature-based infrastructure like absorbent parks and green spaces with traditional engineering to reduce flooding while creating popular public amenities.

SEEDS, an Indian NGO, collaborated with local Mising masons to redesign their traditional bamboo stilt houses with flood- and earthquake-resistant upgrades. This included concrete bases, chemically treated bamboo, and flexible joinery, which has resulted in longer-lasting dwellings, schools, and community shelters.

In Detroit, a coalition of nonprofits and organizations are coming together to transform buildings into resilience centers. A resilience center is a hub that people can go to for help, especially in moments of a natural emergency. In Detroit, the hubs are part of a response to the effects of climate change, which can leave people displaced. Some of the things people can find in a hub include emergency services, internet access, and workforce development.

According to the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index Mozambique was the fifth country most affected by extreme weather over the past two decades. This article takes an in-depth analysis into four aspects of the country's climate crisis response; early warning systems, flood defense, resettlement sites, and rebuilding houses. The article evaluates both its failures and successes.

In the South Indian coast, erosion is leading to disappearing beaches. A study found that this erosion was in part due to man-made structures like a harbor that was built in the late 80s, groynes, and seawalls. These structures were interfering with the natural movement of sand. To fix it, they needed a structure that could block waves but also allow sand movement, the solution? An artificial reef. It was installed and some beaches are already seeing the results.

Large cities like Vacounver and Seattle are increasingly leaning towards "green infrastracture," a method of managing stormwater through natural systems like green roofs and rain gardens that absorb rainwater. Cities have traditionally relied on traditional sewage systems, but in the face of climate change, and more intense storms, its proving to be inadequate. Green infrascture lowers flood levels, filters out pollutants in the water, and regulates city temperature. In Seattle, an early adopter of green infrastructure, rain gardens absorbed 1.5 trillion liters of rainwate.

After a river in Fiji continued to flood, an entire village relocated uphill 2 kilometers away. About two-thirds of the residents participated in this voluntary relocation, which proved effective when a strong cyclone hit the island. Government policies are making it easier for villages to relocate due to climate change; in fact, four have done so already. Balancing the people’s cultural connection to the land and the need to move can be tricky, but as people continue to be displaced, their responses could help inform other coastal communities around the world.