Read opposite editorial articles written by our team members.
Saving coastlines from climate disasters
April 11th, 2021
By Michael W. Beck
Reefs and wetlands are critical to defending coastal cities from sea level rise, stronger waves and increased flooding. Give them an economic value.
Protecting mangroves can prevent billions of dollars in global flooding damage every year
March 10th, 2020
By Michael W. Beck & Pelayo Menendez
Hurricanes and tropical storms are estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than US$50 billion yearly in damage from winds and flooding. And as these storms travel across the Atlantic, they also ravage many Caribbean nations...
Generating savings from our most cost-effective coastal defenses
April 11th, 2018
By Michael W. Beck & Robert Bendick
Last year was the costliest year ever for natural disasters in the United States, with more than $300 billion in damages from hurricanes, severe storms, and wildfires. The impact of these disasters goes well beyond a dollar figure. Americans have lost homes, businesses — and in some instances, loved ones...
As communities rebuild after hurricanes, study shows wetlands can significantly reduce property damage
September 25th, 2017
By Siddharth Narayan & Michael W. Beck
A 12-year “hurricane drought” during which no major hurricanes made landfall in the continental United States ended dramatically in 2017. The devastating impacts of Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria across the United States and the Caribbean provide tragic reminders of the catastrophic risks we face on our coasts...
Mighty Mangroves of the Philippines: Valuing Wetland Benefits for Risk Reduction and Conservation
September 5th, 2017
World Bank Blog
By Michael W. Beck & Glenn-Marie Lange
Mangroves are weeds; if you give them half a chance they grow in some of the most inhospitable environments; with their knees in seawater and their trunks in the air. They create forested barriers between the wrath of the seas and our coastal communities providing benefits in coastal defense and fisheries...
Coastal Wetlands and Flood Damage Reduction: Can Insurance Save Wetlands?
February 1st, 2017
By Michael W. Beck & Jean-Bernard Crozet
An estimated 840 million people around the world live with the risk of coastal flooding. With our changing climate, the danger posed by hurricanes, floods and storms is increasing. These events have a huge economic impact, too. In 2016 alone, insurers paid out $50 billion for natural disasters; there was a further $125 billion in uninsured losses, and many of these losses were from coastal storms...