DeepSummary
The podcast features an interview with Stephen Robert Miller, author of the book 'Over the Seawall: Tsunamis, Cyclones, Drought, and the Delusion of Controlling Nature.' Miller discusses the concept of maladaptation, where efforts to control nature through engineering projects like seawalls, river embankments, and water diversion schemes often backfire and cause unintended negative consequences. He explores three case studies from Japan, Bangladesh, and Arizona, highlighting how human arrogance, desire for profit, and technological lock-in contribute to these maladaptive solutions.
In Japan, Miller examines the failure of seawalls to protect against the 2011 tsunami, leading to devastating loss of life. Despite this, Japan is doubling down on building even higher seawalls, severing communities' connection to the sea. In Bangladesh, centuries of embankments along rivers have disrupted the natural flow of sediment, causing land subsidence and increased flooding. In Arizona, the Central Arizona Project diverted water from the Colorado River based on overestimated supply, enabling unsustainable urban and agricultural growth in the desert.
Miller advocates for recognizing the limitations of techno-infrastructure solutions and considering more holistic approaches that work with nature. He encourages individuals to critically examine proposed engineering projects and consider the long-term consequences, as well as question the sustainability of living in high-risk areas exacerbated by climate change.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The concept of maladaptation, where efforts to control nature through engineering projects often backfire and cause unintended negative consequences.
- Human arrogance, desire for profit, and technological lock-in contribute to maladaptive solutions.
- Case studies from Japan, Bangladesh, and Arizona illustrate the failures of seawalls, river embankments, and water diversion schemes.
- Japan is doubling down on building higher seawalls, despite their limitations and negative impacts on communities.
- In Bangladesh, centuries of embankments have disrupted natural sediment flow, leading to land subsidence and increased flooding.
- In Arizona, overestimated water supply in the Colorado River Compact enabled unsustainable urban and agricultural growth in the desert.
- A call for more holistic approaches that work with nature, rather than trying to control it through techno-infrastructure solutions.
- Encouraging individuals to critically examine proposed engineering projects and consider long-term consequences, sustainability, and impacts on future generations.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “So they committed the region to generations of thinking that there was going to be a certain amount of water for them, which means they could use that to plan the cities, that they were going to grow in a way that they were going to farm. In reality, there was much, much less water than they actually, than they said there was in the contract.“ by Stephen Robert Miller
- “I want people to think a little bit more holistically about all of this stuff and to recognize that the choices they make now and the ways they live and the places that they live are going to have long term impacts.“ by Stephen Robert Miller
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Episode Information
New Books in Environmental Studies
Marshall Poe
10/20/23