New Books Network Courtney Humphries, "Climate Change and the Future of Boston" (Anthem Press, 2026)
Mar 16, 2026
Courtney Humphries, writer and environmental social scientist studying urban climate and coastal resilience. She explores Boston’s sea level rise, intensifying storms, and extreme heat risks. She links the city’s landmaking and redlining history to uneven vulnerabilities. She also reviews Boston’s climate planning, mitigation efforts, and the political and funding hurdles to making resilience equitable and effective.
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Boston Is Already Experiencing Significant Climate Shifts
- Boston is already warming: temperatures rose ~1°C since 1970, sea level rose ~8 inches, and annual precipitation increased about 3 inches.
- These trends foreshadow more extreme heat, frequent high-tide flooding, and intense stormwater events under higher emissions scenarios.
Historic Land Reclamation Shapes Today's Flood And Heat Risk
- Boston's long history of creating land from coastal wetlands produced thousands of acres of low-lying, economically vital land now highly flood‑vulnerable.
- Historic land‑reclamation and uneven development also produced heat‑vulnerable neighborhoods tied to past redlining and impervious surfaces.
Fragmented Metro Governance Limits Regional Climate Action
- Boston's fragmented metro governance — dozens of municipalities — creates coordination challenges for land‑use, decarbonization, and adaptation planning.
- That patchwork complicates integrated solutions like transit, shoreline protection, and regional equity measures.
