Narragansett, R.I.\u2013 February 12, 2021 \u2013 Rhode Island is long overdue for a major hurricane. Even a brush with Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which caused $11.2 million in damages and left 122,000 Rhode Islanders without power, was not a worst-case scenario, but a reminder of the state\u2019s exposure and vulnerability. And a record-setting hurricane season in 2020 with 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall in the U.S., was another reminder of how a changing climate makes rising seas and storm flooding more devastating.<\/p>\n
Storm surge barriers, levees, and other coastal flood protection megaprojects are being investigated as strategies to protect U.S. cities against devastating coastal storms and rising sea levels. But these projects are large scale and complex, often taking years to decades to complete and costing billions of dollars with long-lasting impacts on the economy, environment, and society. Additional layers of social conflict and other political factors also cast doubt on their ability to serve as practical climate adaptation options.<\/p>\n
On March 9 from 3 to 5 p.m.,<\/strong> Paul Kirshen, professor of climate adaptation at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and D.J. Rasmussen, an engineer and climate scientist who recently graduated from Princeton University\u2019s School of Public Policy & International Affairs, will discuss the technical, environmental, economic, and political factors of why some coastal flood protection megastructures break ground in the U.S. while others do not, using Boston Harbor and Rhode Island\u2019s Fox Point Hurricane Barrier<\/a> in Providence\u2013the first gated hurricane-protection structure in the U.S.\u2013 as case studies.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a really timely discussion because the world will be grappling with these problems in the coming decades. Many coastal cities and communities will consider large-scale barriers as a solution for sea level rise and storm surge,\u201d says Austin Becker, associate professor of Marine Affairs at the 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n This free webinar is part of the annual Coastal State Discussion Series hosted by Rhode Island Sea Grant and co-sponsored by the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Coastal Institute. This webinar is supported by the 溏心vlog免费B站 Marine Affairs Department and The Policy Lab at Brown University.<\/p>\n