Courtney Humphries, "Climate Change and the Future of Boston" (Anthem Press, 2026)

About this episode

This episode discusses the impacts of climate change on Boston and the city's strategies for mitigation and adaptation.

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, Climate Change and the Future of Boston (Anthem Press, 2026) by Dr. Courtney Humphries describes how Boston’s history and current context shape future climate impacts and examines the mitigation and adaptation strategies the city has taken. Boston is a leader 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…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Courtney Humphries

Topics covered

• climate change
• Boston
• sea level rise
• urban planning
• resilience
• environmental history

Keywords

• climate change
• Boston
• sea level rise
• urban resilience
• environmental history
• Green New Deal
• flooding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Anthem Press

Places: Boston

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