Like many of the world's iconic coastal cities, Boston faces potentially
severe impacts from climate change. Depending on global emissions,
Boston could face several feet of sea level rise this century, which
would leave many parts of the city subject to tidal and storm flooding.
Precipitation events could become more frequent and extreme, and its
already-humid summers could become dangerously hot, with most days over
90 degrees. Today, Boston is a booming city with a growing population, a
glittering new waterfront neighborhood, world-class universities, and a
strong economy. Its future risks and opportunities related to climate
change are shaped by the 400-year environmental, social, and economic
history of the city's development.
As part of Anthem's series, Anthem Climate Change and the Future of the
North American City, Climate Change and the Future of Boston describes
how Boston's history and current context shape future climate impacts,
and examines the mitigation and adaptation strategies the city has taken
so far. Boston has taken a lead in acknowledging the problem of climate
change; it has set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, among
other climate-related goals. It has also developed science-based climate
models and undertaken a robust planning process to identify strategies
to protect its waterfront from flooding with sea level rise and increase
its resilience to other climate-related impacts. But the city also faces
structural challenges, such as aging infrastructure, historic racial
inequities, rising gentrification and income inequality, and ongoing
political and regulatory obstacles that hinder efforts to adapt in an
efficient and just manner. The book concludes with a set of
forward-looking scenarios about what the future may have in store for
the city and the lessons it holds for other coastal cities struggling
with these challenges.
