One of the biggest threats to cities around the world is sea-level rise caused by climate change. Scientists at the non-profit organisation Climate Central estimate that 275 million people worldwide live in areas that will eventually be flooded at 3C of global warming. Can we protect our cities and communities from the effects of climate change or will we be forced to retreat from our coasts?

Engineers need to see the big picture and need to follow a clear strategy in response to the options: mitigation, resilience, adaptation. In the context of a changing climate, these are terms that society at large are increasingly comfortable with and versed in. Albeit some slower than others. Retreat however is not. Arguably at odds with political ambitions or short term economic interests, retreat is largely seen as a last resort. A failure to adapt. Yet, to quote Siders et. al. (2019), “faced with global warming, rising sea levels, and the climate-related extremes they intensify, the question is no longer whether some communities will retreat – moving people and assets out of harm’s way – but why, where, when, and how they will retreat.“

In this City Conversation we invite participants to explore with us the future challenges associated with climate induced migration:

• What can we learn from research and practices around migration and displacement?
• At what point is retreat triggered?
• How may this be achieved in an equitable way?
• How may such processes impact displaced and receiving communities?
• What does this mean for the way in which the city is designed, the physical as well as the human and cultural?

Chairing: Fergus Anderson, Happold Foundation

Panelists include

Luisa Miranda Morel, Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Forum and Academies, C40 Cities

Prof. Richard Dawson, Earth Systems Engineering, Newcastle University

Dr Barney Dickson, Senior Programme Officer at UN Environment Programme

Viktoria Walldin, Partner and Anthropologist at White Arkitekter