What cities everywhere can learn from the Houston area’s severe flooding as they try to adapt to climate change

Flood Risks and the Need for Sustainable Development

Scenes from the Houston area looked like the aftermath of a hurricane in early May after a series of powerful storms flooded highways and neighborhoods and sent rivers over their banks north of the city.

Hundreds of people had to be rescued from homes, rooftops, and cars, according to The Associated Press. Huntsville registered nearly 20 inches of rain from April 29 to May 4, 2024.

Flood risks are rising

The first thing recent floods tell us is that the climate is changing. Each community has its own unique geography and climate that can exacerbate flooding. On top of those risks, extreme downpours are becoming more common as global temperatures rise.

I work with a center at the University of Michigan that helps communities turn climate knowledge into projects that can reduce the harm of future climate disasters. Flooding events like the Houston area experienced provide case studies that can help cities everywhere manage the increasing risk.

Communities aren’t prepared

Recent floods are also revealing vulnerabilities in how communities are designed and managed. Pavement is a major contributor to urban flooding, because water cannot be absorbed and it runs off quickly. The Houston area’s frequent flooding illustrates the risks. Its impervious surfaces expanded by 386 square miles between 1997 and 2017, according to data collected by Rice University.

If the infrastructure is well designed and maintained, flood damage can be greatly reduced. However, increasingly, researchers have found that the engineering specifications for drainage pipes and other infrastructure are no longer adequate to handle the increasing severity of storms and amounts of precipitation. This can lead to roads being washed out and communities being cut off. Failures in maintaining infrastructure, such as levees and storm drains, are a common contributor to flooding.

In the Houston area, reservoirs are also an essential part of flood management, and many were at capacity from persistent rain. This forced managers to release more water when the storms hit. For a coastal metropolis such as the Houston-Galveston area, rapidly rising sea levels can also reduce the downstream capacity to manage water.

Four lessons from case studies

The many effects associated with flooding show why a holistic approach to planning for climate change is necessary, and what communities can learn from one another. For example, case studies show that:

• It is difficult for an individual or a community to take on even the technical aspects of flood preparation alone – there is too much interconnectedness. Planners should identify the appropriate regional scale and form important relationships early in the planning process.
• Natural disasters and the ways communities respond to them can also amplify disparities in wealth and resources. Social justice and ethical considerations need to be brought into planning at the beginning.

Learning to manage complexity

In communities that my colleagues and I have worked with, we have found an increasing awareness of the challenges of climate change and rising flood risks. When they examine their vulnerabilities, many of these communities have started to recognize the interconnectedness of zoning, storm drains, and parks that can absorb runoff. They also begin to see the importance of engaging regional stakeholders to avoid fragmented efforts to adapt that could worsen conditions for neighboring areas.

This is an updated version of an article originally published Aug. 25, 2022.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
• Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
• Indicator 11.5.2: Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global GDP, including disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
• Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
• Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into their national policies, strategies, and planning.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
• Indicator 9.1.1: Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road.
• Indicator 9.1.2: Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport.

SDG 1: No Poverty

• Target 1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social, and environmental shocks and disasters.
• Indicator 1.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
• Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.

Analysis

1. The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are:
– SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
– SDG 13: Climate Action
– SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
– SDG 1: No Poverty
– SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

2. Specific targets under those SDGs identified based on the article’s content are:
– Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
– Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
– Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
– Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
– Target 1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social, and environmental shocks and disasters.
– Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.

3. Indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets are:
– Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
– Indicator 11.5.2: Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global GDP, including disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.
– Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
– Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into their national policies, strategies, and planning.
– Indicator 9.1.1: Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road.
– Indicator 9.1.2: Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport.
– Indicator 1.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
– Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.

4. Table presenting the findings from analyzing the article:

| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|—————————————|——————————————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————————————————|
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations. | Indicator 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population. Indicator 11.5.2: Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global GDP, including disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services. |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. | Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population. Indicator 13.

Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.

Fuente: theconversation.com

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