Happy New Year! January’s Green Infrastructure, Climate and Cities seminar topic is Managed Retreat in the Coastal Zone: Relocation as Adaptation, featuring Dr. Radley Horton of the Center for Climate Systems Research and Anna LoPresti of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, both at Columbia University.
Sea level rise and coastal flooding will threaten hundreds of millions of people around the globe this century, and trillions of dollars in assets. Managed retreat, the relocation of human and non-human life, assets, and structures inland as a coastal adaptation strategy, will be necessary to address the impacts of climate change. Many people in harm’s way are just starting to be ready to talk about managed retreat, even as others have been trying to relocate—with varying levels of success—for decades. More discussions across groups of diverse perspectives are needed if managed retreat is to be implemented equitably and strategically. This presentation will discuss major themes that emerged from a first of its kind conference on managed retreat held at Columbia university in partnership with CCRUN, suggesting possible tools for addressing managed retreat, research directions, and applications outside of the coastal zone. We will then take a closer look at managed retreat in US communities to assess where, how, and why they are considering retreat as an adaptation option.
This event is FREE to attend and refreshments will be served! The seminar is livecast for those that cannot attend in person can attend online.
Radley Horton is a Lamont Associate Research Professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. His research focuses on climate extremes, sea level rise, tail risks, climate impacts, and adaptation. Radley was a Convening Lead Author for the Third National Climate Assessment. He currently Co-Chairs Columbia University’s Climate Adaptation Initiative, and is Principal Investigator for CCRUN. Radley is also the Columbia University lead for the Department of Interior-funded Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. He has served on numerous national and international task forces and committees, including the Climate Scenarios Task Force in support of the 2018 National Climate Assessment. Radley teaches in Columbia University’s Sustainable Development department.
Anna LoPresti currently works as Sustained Assessment Specialist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, where she assists with stakeholder-driven research on climate adaptation in the urban corridor including Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. she works in collaboration with CCRUN to strengthen capacity for long-term, equitable, community-based resilience planning. She holds a Masters of Science in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Development from Columbia University.