Anthropocene Alliance’s Post

CAH Grantee Event: DC History Center Flash Flood: Environmental Justice in the Nation’s Capital Thu Apr 25th 2024 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm EDT Online Flash flooding isn’t new to Rhode Island Avenue NE or Ivy City residents whose basements historically flood, often with combined sewage overflow. But an August 2023 rainstorm made headlines when 10 pet dogs died at a local doggy daycare. Suddenly, the District’s tendency to flood—which had long impacted the city’s poorest communities—was headline news. Join us for this online program on Thursday, April 25 at 6 pm as we dive into flooding as an environmental justice issue. The land where Washington, DC is today was never a swamp, but it was built over creeks and pockets of wetland among rich farmland, including plantations. In 150 years of building, city planners fundamentally changed the topography of DC, visible and concealed. Tiber Creek, an iconic example, turned from stream to canal to buried sewer over the years—resulting in part of the city’s wastewater overflow issues, now being rectified by enormous public works like the Northeast Boundary Tunnel. But even as the city completes such projects, the ever-present threat of climate change looms over the District: major storms become more frequent and intense, leading to an increased risk of damaging floods and threats to infrastructure. This Earth Day, ask yourself: Who is most at risk of flooding in DC? Where in the city do local and federal governments invest funds to prevent flooding? What actions can we take today to prevent future flooding in the nation’s capital? Learn from our panel with research expertise, organizing histories, and lived experience about the history of rising waters in DC. Curated by Carmen Bolt, PhD candidate in history from American University, this program is the latest installment in the DC History Center’s Context for Today series of online conversations with thoughtful and thought-provoking historians, activists, journalists, and community members. This virtual event is free, but your donation makes our mission-driven programs, like this one, possible. We appreciate your generous contribution at any amount. If you require accommodations for a disability, please email the DC History Center at [email protected] with your request as possible. We are committed to making events accessible for all participants. Full details here: https://lnkd.in/gGYci29x #TheDCArts

Alternative water supply options examined in the 2012 study, including long-range diversions, were estimated to cost billions of dollars, according to Kim Mitchell, a senior policy advisor with Western Resource Advocates. The nonprofit conservation group focuses on policies to reduce water use and improve water planning in the West. She said the study found large-scale diversions pose challenges with high energy needs, permitting and potential legal challenges due to their size and regional extent. "When you couple all those factors with the unpredictable weather patterns that science tells us is occurring with climate change, forecasting flood years will be even more unpredictable in the future," Mitchell said. "So, is it wise to spend all this huge investment towards a project where we don't even know if central states along the Mississippi — they may experience long-term drought of their own in the future just like us." Listen to the full story on Wisconsin Public Radio or read the article below. https://bit.ly/3ZvEAhv

TreeFolks is so proud to work with the City of Austin to reforest the Blackland Prairie Floodplain. Each year, we plant up to 70,000 native saplings and native tall grasses on floodplain land in Central Texas, with 20,000 of these in Austin through our partnership with the Watershed Protection Division. Ana Gonzalez, Manager of the City's Watershed Protection Division, said: "There’s a lot of equity and environmental justice components that are important to consider. And really our ability to survive in Austin and thrive as climate change is making life more hostile here. Our ability to survive really hinges a lot on the condition of our streams. It’s such a crucial network.” Our Central Texas Floodplain Reforestation Program offers no-cost reforestation and native sapling plantings to private landowners in Travis, Hays, Caldwell, Bastrop, Williamson, Burnet, and Blanco counties who are in a floodplain area. Thanks to Austin Monitor for writing this article. https://lnkd.in/gv6n6v7w

#EnvironmentalJustice #Favelas CONFRONTING THE TENDENCY TO REDUCE FAVELA RIVERS TO SEWAGE DITCHES "We began to interact differently with the environment. People remember moments when, as children, they were placed on bunk beds, benches or walls to avoid contact with the water. Adults were worried about losing the material objects they had worked so hard to buy, but the main fear was losing their children, washed away by the force of the water or afflicted by diseases resulting from contamination by dirty water." “I think it's important to address the memories. Many do not know that the river was once a place for fishing and playing.” — Marcia Esteves "Gradually, stories shifted from those of cooling off in the rivers, the memories of playing in the water and along its banks, and the food security that the waters provided. Little by little, conversations began to describe the river as a source of fear and death. It instills a constant sense of vulnerability, alleviated only by the support network the neighborhood provides in times of emergency." This is the final in a series of articles on water justice in the favelas available at https://lnkd.in/dsEd7Uie. It is also part of a series created in partnership with the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the Digital Brazil Project on environmental justice. Read the full article: bit.ly/4b9iVkU 💻 For the complete series, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dsEd7Uie

Pennsylvania program helps convert lawns to meadows: Residents, nonprofits and businesses can be allies in #greenstormwaterinfrastructure through projects and collaborations like this. Lawn conversions prevent flooding and runoff pollution and provide habitat for wildlife.   “Mummert said the program significantly benefits highly developed areas, which are prone to stormwater runoff pollution and flooding. Unlike turf grass, which has shallow root systems, meadow grasses have larger root systems, which help soak up water.”   The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is offering funds for residents and businesses who want to convert their lawns to meadows. https://lnkd.in/gqAzrqCX

Another reason for Urban Growth Boundaries in our climate chaos reality. --- Building wildfire-resilient communities is key for climate adaptation --- The pressure is on to house Oregon’s growing population, which will likely require about 30,000 to 40,000 new homes every year. By nurturing compact, vibrant, and climate-smart cities, land use laws help address the classic challenges of growth: coordinating infrastructure and public services, efficiently using land, and protecting natural resources. They also safeguard against wildfires, which makes land use laws invaluable firefighters in our increasingly fire-prone region. #wildfire #oregon #climatechange #reslience #urbangrowthboundaries #climatechaos

As climate change shifts the magnitude and frequency of wildfires, communities are reconsidering zoning to limit development in wildland-urban interfaces. By “building up” and not out—increasing density to accommodate growing populations while managing wildfire exposure—places like Bend, OR are creating more livable, walkable communities. Rather than presenting an ever-growing risk to life and property, surrounding lands can buffer wildfires while providing other community benefits, like recreational opportunities and other ecosystem services. #adaptation https://ow.ly/26f550Pur5S