Environmental problem solver who thinks outside the box, connects science to policy, bridges silos, and establishes strong partnerships with stakeholders.
Hello everybody.?I want to direct your attention to an excellent book.?It’s called Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm by Susan Crawford (@SusanCrawford).?This book is not only a meticulously researched and annotated history of the racist marginalization of the black community in Charleston but it is also a warning shot over the bow for all coastal cities of the world.?How many of us have visited Charleston, rated by Travel and Leisure as the number one city in the country 11 years in a row, and not been charmed by the restaurants on East Bay Street??Beneath this genteel veneer, however, lies a dark history and a simmering time bomb of increased flooding.?Not content to simply write from home, Crawford supplements her deep dive into archival books, maps, and articles, by conducting dozens of interviews with people from all walks of life in Charleston as well as leading climate change experts. ?What she uncovers is not pretty.?Time and time again, she documents the displacement of the African American community into the most flood-prone areas of the lower peninsula.?Time and time again, whenever black owned lands are valued by the powers that be levers are moved to displace them and build expensive neighborhoods in their place.?However, nature will have the final word as even these communities will eventually be abandoned in the face of inexorable sea level rise.?This unflinching interrogation of Charleston’s past is also a harbinger of things to come for all coastal cities of the world.?As the seas rise, and they will, tough choices will have to be made.?Can they be made with fairness, with justice, with equity, with dignity??This book helps us understand mistakes of the past and hopefully, if we’re smart, arm us with the wisdom for a more just and sustainable coastal future. #SusanCrawford #SeaLevelRise
Climate | Resilience and Adaptation | Sustainability | Environment
1 个月Great book!