Research Seminar: Four Cases of Flood-risk Reduction in Coastal Cities
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Date
07 Nov 2023
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Organiser
Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI)
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Time
15:00 - 16:00
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Venue
PQ304 Map
Speaker
Dr Paul Chan
Enquiry
Ms Anna Choi 3400 8158 anna.choi@polyu.edu.hk
Remarks
All are welcome. No registration is needed.
Summary
The four coastal cities-Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Copenhagen—each is implementing long-term flood prevention measures. Miami is located in the most hurricane-prone region in the U.S. and is showing signs of subsidence, so flood prevention is critical. New York City was hit by the storm surge of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and was forced to take long-term flood measures. Similarly, widespread inundation caused by heavy rainfall in July 2011 forced Copenhagen to take action. A recent report by Moody Financial Analytics ranked San Francisco as one of the cities with the highest risk of rising sea levels in the U.S. Each of the four cities has adopted flood prevention measures within the framework of climate change adaptation. These projects are still ongoing and could serve as a model for Hong Kong and other coastal cities in the Greater Bay region.
Keynote Speaker
Dr Paul Chan
CIO (retired)
U.S. National Weather Service
Dr. Paul Chan has worked in the U.S. government and the private sector. He began his career conducting climate research for NASA and was the Director of NASA’s Earth science data center. As the CIO for the USDA Economic Research Service, he led the development of an innovative approach to assess the vulnerabilities of the U.S. food and agricultural system and their impacts on the nation’s economy. He received the 2004 Presidential Award for this work. In 2004, he became the CIO for the National Weather Service and later the COO for IMSG Inc, an environmental services company, where he managed a portfolio of business that includes weather and climate modeling, satellite remote sensing, coastal zone management, and marine environmental conservation. He was a member of the State of Maryland Climate Change Working Group and the U.S.-Vietnam Climate Change Working Group. At Climate Decision, LLC, Dr. Chan developed disaster risk reduction (DRR) solutions for clients. He received the 2023 Leadership Award in Climate Science from the Washington Academy of Sciences, with the citation “In recognition for outstanding leadership in applying climate science and data to address societal problems from the ongoing climate crisis.”
