WSP in the U.S.’s Post

"Happy World Environment Day! Since 1972, June 5 has been a day dedicated to our one common home - THE EARTH. As a town planner, I recognize the significance of responsible land use and management in protecting our planet's precious resources. Let's work together to adopt sustainable practices, restore degraded lands, and build resilience against slums, flooding, building collapse, droughts and desertification. Every small action counts, and as professionals in the built environment, we have a critical role to play in shaping a better future for all. Let's make a difference, one sustainable decision at a time! #WorldEnvironmentDay #Sustainability #TownPlanning #Restoration"

It’s easy to give in to fear and resignation about what’s happening all around the world. Fires are raging in the Northern Hemisphere and the South is just about to move into what promises to be a scorching summer. Plant trees. Just plant as many as you can. Yes, it should have been done ages ago. But the next best time is now. Trees cool our environment and soak up carbon. They encourage the growth and regeneration of complex ecosystems that repair our world. This doesn’t take a lot of time or money. But it’s a small action that can have a massive effect. #sustainability #planttrees #recycling

There is a delicate balance between #economicimpact of eroded beaches and the cost of #beachrenourishment. The question becomes, are we ready to retreat and lose the enjoyment of the present #shorelines or do we continue to literally dump sand and money onto the beaches to save them? What do you think? #resilience #climateadaptation www.solutions4shore.com

Inspiring news: SPUR #Ocean #Beach #Climate #Plan Takes Big Steps Forward In October, the Ocean Beach Climate Change #Adaptation #Project took major steps toward full implementation, with the #SanFrancisco #PlanningCommission's #certification of the #environmental #review, approval of the project’s alignment with the city’s General Plan, and approvals by the Department of #Recreation and #Parks and the San Francisco #Public #Utilities Commission. The project implements many components of SPUR’s #OceanBeachMasterPlan, which #envisions the #transformation of the #shoreline into a #resilient and #protected #open #space that #restores the #natural #habitat, protects #biodiversity, and provides new #pedestrian and #bicycle #access to the beach and #coastal #trail. For over 10 years, SPUR played a pivotal role in championing this project, working with #public #agencies, #community #members, and #stakeholders to #develop one of the #BayArea’s #first #sealevelrise #adaptation #plans. #placebased #onehealth #wellbeing #regenerative #sdgs #H20 #airshed https://lnkd.in/eQAmAMuJ

Having spent a week in Venice, the city seems to be a metaphore for the wonky ground that the culture I have been socialised into has been built on. Venice was built on wooden poles that were rammed into the unstable ground of a muddy wetland. What made this possible, is a particular human mindset that has the gift to imagine doing things like that and the technical "genius" to do it. And this mindset asserted its power over the land, created obscene wealth and a particular kind of beauty that has an ugly shadow side to it. Gregory Bateson famously said , that the major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think. The city has always flooded, but in 2019, 80% of the city was under water. Water came from everywhere, from the canals, out of the drains, the sinks, the toilets. The technical human genius came to the rescue with a technical solution: The dam MOSE was finally completed at enormous cost. It can seal off the entire lagoon. The only problem is that by closing off the lagoon, even temporarily, the sewage of the city has nowhere to go. The city floods in its own shit. After Mose's costly completion it quickly became clear that this engineering wonder will be unable to keep up with the pace of change. Linear correctives don't account for ecological connectedness. More defences must be built! Venice must not die! What is it about Venice that is worth so much more effort, energy and money than the protection of the lives of people living on small islands in the Pacific and the Philippines? What needs to be protected at this cost? Tourism? Nostalgia for the symbols of colonial power? What are we holding dear and how does the largely unaddressed ugly side show up in the solutions we come up with and in the decisions about what or who needs to be saved? And in sync with the technical mindset, our own psychological defense system helps us not to be flooded by the emotional horror of it all. But despite these defensive psychological engineering solutions, Every so often the force of our wild human nature comes gushing through the cracks- and we see the whole scale of the mess. It floods the neat order of things, disturbs our dreams and unsettles our minds. How do you respond to this call of nature? Do you plan to invest in better flood defences? How do you take care of the remaining wild and undomesticated parts in your inner world that have remained untouched by the harms of living in a destructive culture ? And what about the shit that builds up? How do you take care of that? And what is not allowed to die? If these questions are relevant to you, sign up to the newsletter of ‘Climate, Psychology and Change’. https://lnkd.in/eV4PUrDD This will keep you updated about a range of online events, which explore what it means to be human in a time when the familiar is dying. Happy Earth Day! https://lnkd.in/gaBKDWjr

While we're not going to turn our cities into wild forests, we can create an urban tree canopy to keep them cool (shade and "evapotranspiration" can reduce a city’s temperature by 12 degrees Celsius) and even clean the air. #climateaction #reforestation #solutions

#climatechange is impacting businesses and will further impact them in the short, medium, and long-term. Yes, extreme heat and precipitation can prevent people to participate to outdoor activities. Yes, these same extreme weather events can damage infrastructure and equipment. Yes, business performances are at risk. At EcoAct , we assess #climaterisk for our clients and support them in the development of mitigation and adaptation strategy.

Nature breathes life into our cities. 🍃🏙️ Access to green space and protection of urban nature improves our health and wellbeing while helping manage climate hazards like extreme heat and flooding risk. Learn how mayors are taking action on nature:

🎓 Excited to share that I've successfully completed the course on "Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster and Climate Resilience"! 🌱🌍 In this insightful course, I delved into the rapidly developing field of nature-based solutions, learning how they harness the power of nature to tackle climate and disaster risks head-on. From urban environments to coastal areas and drylands, I explored the transformative potential of these solutions in building resilience and sustainability. The course provided a deep dive into various aspects, including: Urban Cooling Power 🌳 Ever stepped into a park and felt the temperature drop? Parks mitigate urban heat, reducing daytime temps by 0.94°C and nighttime temps by 1.15°C. Trees, plants, and green spaces serve as natural coolants, combating climate change effects. Coastal Guardians 🏖️ Coastal ecosystems—mangroves, reefs—shield shorelines, absorb waves, and reduce storm surges. Restoration efforts offer multiple benefits, from erosion prevention to supporting diverse marine life. Coastal areas play a critical role in building resilience against climate impacts. Peatlands: Carbon Heroes 🌿 Peatlands, often overlooked, store more carbon than any other vegetation. When degraded, they release CO2. Restoration is vital for climate mitigation. Organizations like Wetlands International are leading efforts to restore and upscale peatland restoration for a sustainable future. Drylands and Green Strategies 🌵 Sustainable land management practices combat desertification and enhance crop yields. Initiatives like the Great Green Wall unite nations to restore arid lands, fostering collaboration and ecosystem rejuvenation. Hybrid Solutions for Urban Challenges 🏙️ Hybrid approaches blend green and engineered infrastructure. Examples like China's Sponge City concept focus on permeability, harmonizing nature and urban development. Ecologists, engineers, and planners unite for resilient cities. Community Collaboration for Resilience 🤝 Successful nature-based solutions require local engagement. Integrated coastal zone management, like the City Adapt initiative, unites governments, communities, and stakeholders to adapt to climate change. Collaborative efforts are key to lasting impact. The practical examples and case studies showcased the impact of these solutions, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between local communities, governments, and various sectors. I'm inspired by the potential of nature-based solutions to create a resilient future for our planet. A big thank you to the course creators for this enlightening journey! 🙏🌿 Let's continue working together to drive positive change and promote a sustainable future. #NatureBasedSolutions #ClimateResilience #Sustainability #LifelongLearning

We all have parts of this world that we love to visit, and we would do so every year if we were able.  Yet our climate is changing and its significantly changing the areas we love and the lives we lead in more ways than we may realize. This summer, I visited Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is referred to as a mini-Yellowstone, with smaller crowds and hydrothermal/geological wonders caused by the existence of every type of volcano (4 actually).  We stayed at the Highlands Ranch Resort, which was lucky to survive the 2021 #DixieFire that burned 70% of the National Park, 1 million acres & caused over $1 billion in damages.  This fire began when a tree fell on a power line and became supercharged by the conditions from #climatechange. Yes, the fire itself has forever changed the landscape (as you can see in this video); wiped out several communities such as Greenville, Canyondam, and Warner Valley; increased air pollution in neighboring states; and destroyed the homes of local people and wildlife.  But it also caused significant financial harm to businesses that rely on the outdoors.  Highlands Resort was forced to close and even when it reopened, tourists were scared away during peak season. Worldwide, #tourism is experiencing higher temperatures that scare travelers away, peak seasons are shrinking, and the frequency of storms, floods, #wildfires, destructive events, & unsafe #airpollution are increasing.  For industries with large #supplychains, resources are disappearing or becoming scarcer, and this leads to price increases and delays.  It also has allowed for certain businesses to falsely blame supply chains for inflating their prices, which you can see by their increased profits and your difficulty in balancing your personal budget. For local #economies, it can mean lower taxes collected from business creating budgetary shortfalls and cuts to important and desirable programs. Sometimes we think of climate change as only a problem for wildlife, nature, or other people, but if we properly understand it, we see that it impacts every business and all of us. The thing about climate change is that it is not a one-time event.  It’s not like, “oh well it’s happened, let’s just get back to our daily lives”.  It is ongoing, with unpredictable consequences, and will get exponentially worse every year, unless we all become the solution.  The time to act is now and the costs to act are lower now than they ever will be. Spending money to protect what we love & knowing that it will save us money in the future, just makes sense. #california #climatecrisis #people #community #travelandtourism #nationalparks #roadtrip