Hyderabad's Battle Against Urban Heat: A Comprehensive Strategy by T.Vijay Kumar, IAS Retd

This podcast is part of the free online course "Climate-resilient WASH services", designed to give you a better understanding on how we can collectively build more climate resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services.

The course is brought to you by WaterAid, IRC and Water For People. Find out more at WASH Systems Academy.org.

How tough is WASH?

We talked with Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times environmental reporter in 2023, as she delves into the realities and solutions to sea level rise in her book California Against the Sea, Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline.

Wherever land meets sea, global warming is wreaking havoc. As the ocean absorbs heat generated by the burning of fossil fuels and its attendant climate breakdown, its waters swell into overwhelming tides and city-engulfing storms. Glaciers melt, Pacific Islands shrink, Indonesians flee their seaside capital, and North Carolina’s beaches disappear with each passing supercharged hurricane. 

Sea level rise threatens low-lying coastal and estuarine zones which may have nearly one billion inhabitants worldwide by 2030. Thus, those residents will lose their homes and businesses, maybe their possessions and have to migrate to higher ground, if they survive the transition. 

To adapt, governments, industries, and communities must work collaboratively through integrated, multidimensional management schemes that cross the boundaries of natural sciences, environmental justice advocacy, and engineering. Sadly, in our short-term speculative real estate-centric world, we are nowhere close to working together…but there are some positive signs.  

Journalist and author Rosanna Xia provides an in-depth look at the complex challenges coastal communities face from rising seas. She draws on years of covering coastal management to unpack contentious issues like managed retreat, where communities acknowledge the ocean's inevitable reclamation of land. We discuss the plight of homeowners and businesses struggling to save their properties as well as innovative solutions like wetland restoration, Xia brings her extensive reporting to bear on how we can create more sustainable and resilient coastlines. 



For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio 

Rosanna Xia is an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times [https://www.latimes.com/people/rosanna-xia] where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. Her work spans feature writing to investigative reporting and engages themes of climate and social justice. Xia’s reporting has uncovered the dumping of toxic DDT waste off the Los Angeles coast; set the record straight on the seizure of Bruce’s Beach from its Black proprietors (prompting an unprecedented reparative land return in 2022); explored the impacts of coastal gentrification; and articulated the dangers posed to shorelines by pollution and heating oceans.  She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting on sea level rise, which inspired the work that culminated in California Against the Sea [https://www.heydaybooks.com/catalog/california-against-the-sea/]. Her writing has been anthologized in the Best American Science and Nature Writing series.

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.




Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ 
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ 
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url  
Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 200
Photo credit: Rosanna Xia

California Against the Sea, Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline with Rosanna Xia

In this insightful conversation, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia sits down with Ms. Mirjam 't Lam, Managing Director of Oikocredit, to discuss the powerful intersection of faith and finance. They explore the ecumenical roots of Oikocredit, its mission to promote economic justice, and the vital role churches have played—and continue to play—in supporting this impactful cooperative. Discover how this partnership has evolved over decades to empower low-income communities worldwide and learn about the future of this collaboration in tackling global challenges like climate resilience and economic inequality.

Oikocredit: ecumenical roots and partnership for Economic Justice

Extreme heat is an underestimated climate risk as it is not as visible or tangible as a flood, landslide or forest fire. It is estimated that in the summer of 2022 more than 60,000 people died from extreme heat in Europe. The growth of urban sprawl, the materiality of the urban fabric and the absence of vegetation cover increase the problem of extreme heat in cities by concentrating it in so-called heat islands. In this episode we present how this problem is being tackled with the use of digital tools, citizen participation, vegetation cover prototypes and institutional arrangements.

#IDB #Improvinglives #IDBImpact+ #CitiesLab #ClimateResilience #Adaptation #Heat #UrbanHeat #ExtremeHeat #NbS #UrbanHeatIsland #Heatwave

At the Inter-American Development Bank we work to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. http://www.iadb.org

Extreme heat: solutions to cope with a silent threat

It is a common consensus that urban growth has altered the links in the natural water cycle through soil sealing, exploitation of aquifers, drying up of water bodies, channeling of streams and creeks, etc. These factors increase the vulnerability of cities to extreme rainfall events, resulting in floods, landslides and other impacts that affect urban infrastructure and even cause human losses. In this episode we present innovative cases of nature-based solutions that bring the water cycle back into the urban fabric, which, when applied at scale, have the potential to significantly reduce climate vulnerability.

#IDB #Improvinglives #IDBImpact+ #CitiesLab #ClimateResilience #Adaptation #ExtremeRainfall #WaterHarvest #Floods #NbS #FlashFloods #UrbanWater

At the Inter-American Development Bank we work to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. http://www.iadb.org

Extreme storms and rainfall: excess rainwater from problem to opportunity

Prolonged periods of drought are already wreaking havoc in Latin American and Caribbean cities. Urban growth that does not care about the water balance of their water sources, combined with alterations in rainfall patterns due to climate change, are aspects that invite us to rethink the way in which cities will ensure access to water from now on. In this episode we present solutions that seek to diversify the way water is accessed, promote circularity in water management and bring the water cycle back into the urban fabric.

#IDB #Improvinglives #IDBImpact+ #CitiesLab #ClimateResilience #Adaptation #Drought #Suds #WaterSensitiveUrbanDesign #ClimateChange #NbS

At the Inter-American Development Bank we work to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. http://www.iadb.org

Droughts: innovative solutions to prepare our cities for water scarcity events

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Betsy Biemann, CEO of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a leading community development financial institution dedicated to fostering economic equity, environmental sustainability, and community resilience.
Betsy shares her journey from her roots as the daughter of immigrants to becoming a global change-maker. With a background in education and agriculture, her career has spanned continents and industries, ultimately leading her to CEI, where she’s transforming lives and communities in rural Maine and beyond.  
Whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship, social impact, or strategies for creating resilient communities, this episode offers invaluable insights and inspiration.
Learn more about CEI and their mission at ceimaine.org.
This episode of Meeting You Where You're At is brought to you by Nourish Room, where self-care meets transformation.  Ready to prioritize your wellness? Visit nourishroommassage.com to book your session today. Because when you take care of yourself, you can take on anything.

EP 104 Betsy Biemann

In this episode, an IPC analysis reveals the highest number ever recorded of acutely food insecure populations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to conflict, economic instability and surging food prices; sustainable water management is essential to feed Europe and Central Asia and build resilience against climate change, shows a UN report co-authored by FAO; and the Food Price Index remains stable in March. 

Producer: Heriberto Araujo, Ruki Inoshita, Flora Trouilloud
Presenter: Ruki Inoshita
Sound: Eric Deleu
Editorial supervision: Ho Tszmei
©FAO/Alessandra Benedetti

FAO Brief - 14 April 2025

Periodically, WoodChat places a focus on presenting the latest work around building safely in bushfire-prone areas, in particular highlighting the work of the Codes and Standards team. 

During this episode, we wanted to speak to Boris Iskra, National Manager Codes & Standards at Forest and Wood Products Australia in a more general sense to get a snapshot of the other important work that FWPA is involved with in this space, and the importance of this work for the forestry industry, the economy, the public and the environment, as well as getting an update on some exciting recent and upcoming developments.

Listeners will hear from Boris about new and revised Codes and Standards that are already in-place, plus planned and imminent additions for the future. Boris will also explain about the recently-formed FWPA Industry Standards Reference Panel, which was put together to ensure pertinent Codes and Standards relating to the industry are put forward and reviewed, as well as the process by which this takes place.

In addition, we speak to a member of the Standards Reference Panel to get their take on its activities and importance - sharing his thoughts is Gavin Matthew, CEO at the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA), who represents the interests of the Engineered Wood Products (EWPs) sector as part of his role on the panel.

Episode 37: The importance of Codes & Standards for industry, economy and environment

Desde el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) trabajamos para mejorar vidas en América Latina y el Caribe. Escucha nuestros podcasts sobre políticas públicas para el desarrollo social, económico y sostenible de la región. http://www.iadb.org/es

IRC is an international think-and-do tank that works with governments, NGOs, entrepreneurs and people around the world to find long-term solutions to the global crisis in water, sanitation and hygiene services. At the heart of its mission is the aim to move from short-term interventions to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services.  

With over 50 years of experience, IRC runs projects in more than 25 countries and large-scale programmes in seven focus countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

FAO Podcasts, a multilingual audio series produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, addresses pressing global issues including hunger, poverty, agriculture, and sustainability. With content available in English, Spanish, and French, our dedicated audio team ensures these vital conversations are accessible to a global audience. Our three distinct formats - the concise FAO Brief, insightful FAO Talks, and the deeply human documentary pieces - serve as your gateway to understanding and participating in these critical global discussions. Tune in, enrich your perspective, and join us in shaping a more sustainable future for all.

The FAO of the UN leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. We help developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. Since our founding in 1945, we have focused special attention on developing rural areas, home to 70 percent of the world's poor and hungry people. FAO's activities comprise four main areas:

1. Putting information within reach.
2. Sharing policy expertise.
3. Providing a meeting place for nations.
4. Bringing knowledge to the field.

EcoJustice Radio presents environmental and climate stories from a social justice frame, featuring voices not necessarily heard on mainstream media.

Our purpose is to amplify community voices, broaden the reach of grassroots-based movements, and inspire action. We investigate solutions for social, environmental, and climate issues with an eye to advance human health, steward wild landscapes, and solve the climate crisis across the USA and the world.

Featured weekly on KPFK Los Angeles and KPFT Houston, and found on all major podcast apps. We are nationally syndicated through the Pacifica Network and PRX and heard on public radio stations across the US and downloaded in over 25 countries.

Co-hosts Jack Eidt, Carry Kim, and Jessica Aldridge present a broad range of perspectives: land defenders and water protectors; Indigenous leaders, front/fenceline community spokespeople; youth organizers; ecosystem and land stewards; regenerative farmers and permaculture specialists; spiritual and faith leaders; environmental health advocates and practitioners; documentary filmmakers; climate scientists; and political decision makers.

EcoJustice Radio [http://EcoJusticeRadio.org] is produced by SoCal350.org since 2017. 

Tune in live to KPFK Radio Thursdays from 4 to 5 PM (PT) at 90.7 FM Los Angeles, 98.7 FM Santa Barbara, 93.7 FM North San Diego, 99.5 FM Ridgecrest-China Lake, or KPFK.org. 

We also are featured on KPFT Houston from 4 to 5 PM (CT) at 90.1 FM or KPFT.org and other public radio stations on the Pacifica Network.

WoodChat is a podcast produced by Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA). We’ll be sharing in-depth conversations with industry experts and academics about a range of news stories, discoveries and innovations. For more information, visit www.fwpa.com.au

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide fellowship of churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. More info at www.oikoumene.org

Podcast featuring Women Entrepreneurs, Disruptors, and Purveyors of change. Meeting You provides an amplifying platform for Women Entrepreneurs, Founders, and Leaders who are focused on Social Impact and Innovation.

New tracks tagged #ClimateResilience