Current:Home > ScamsCalifornia's flooding reveals we're still building cities for the climate of the past-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
California's flooding reveals we're still building cities for the climate of the past
View Date:2024-12-23 16:43:16
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
Heavy storms have flooded roads and intersections across California and forced thousands to evacuate over the last few weeks. Much of the water isn't coming from overflowing rivers. Instead, rainfall is simply overwhelming the infrastructure designed to drain the water and keep people safe from flooding.
To top it off, the storms come on the heels of a severe drought. Reservoirs started out with such low water levels that many are only now approaching average levels—and some are still below average.
The state is increasingly a land of extremes.
New infrastructure must accommodate a "new normal" of intense rainfall and long droughts, which has many rethinking the decades-old data and rules used to build existing infrastructure.
"What we need to do is make sure that we're mainstreaming it into all our infrastructure decisions from here on out," says Rachel Cleetus, policy director with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "Otherwise we'll be putting good money after bad. We'll have roads and bridges that might get washed out. We might have power infrastructure that's vulnerable."
On today's episode, NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer walks us through three innovations that cities around the country are pioneering, in hopes of adapting to shifting and intensifying weather patterns.
Heard of other cool engineering innovations? We'd love to hear about it! Email us at [email protected].
This episode was produced by Berly McCoy, edited by Rebecca Ramirez and fact-checked by Anil Oza.
veryGood! (87158)
Related
- Megan Fox Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby With Machine Gun Kelly
- Looting, violence in France reaches fourth night; hundreds more arrested
- Nordstrom's Epic 70% Off Spring Sale Ends Today: Shop Deals From Madewell, Free People, Open Edit & More
- Biden to meet with King Charles on upcoming European trip
- Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas says he was detained in airport over being ‘disoriented’
- Indigenous activists are united in a cause and are making themselves heard at COP26
- NATO allies on Russia's border look to America for leadership as Putin seizes territory in Ukraine
- Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including prelates based in Jerusalem and Hong Kong
- Ex-Marine misused a combat technique in fatal chokehold of NYC subway rider, trainer testifies
- As Climate Summit Moves Ahead, The World's Biggest Polluters Are Behind
Ranking
- When do new 'Yellowstone' episodes come out? Here's the Season 5, Part 2 episode schedule
- G-20 leaders commit to reach carbon neutrality, but leave the target date in question
- Plant that makes you feel electrocuted and set on fire at the same time introduced to U.K. Poison Garden
- Biden says he worries that cutting oil production too fast will hurt working people
- As the transition unfolds, Trump eyes one of his favorite targets: US intelligence
- Earth has 11 years to cut emissions to avoid dire climate scenarios, a report says
- The Biden administration sold oil and gas leases days after the climate summit
- Millie Bobby Brown Announces Engagement to Jake Bongiovi
Recommendation
-
John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89
-
Biden to meet with King Charles on upcoming European trip
-
Clueless Star Alicia Silverstone Reveals If Paul Rudd Is a Good Kisser
-
Julián Figueroa, Singer-Songwriter and Telenovela Actor, Dead at 27
-
Oprah Winfrey Addresses Claim She Was Paid $1 Million by Kamala Harris' Campaign
-
In 2021, climate ambitions soared and crashed in the U.S. and around the world
-
Britt Robertson Marries Paul Floyd in Star-Studded Ceremony
-
Your First Look at Bravo's New Drama-Filled Series Dancing Queens