The Globe

Hull or High Water - When climate change hits home


Listen Later

Hull Massachusetts is a tiny beautiful beachfront community in a continuous battle against nature. The town sits on a low lying skinny peninsula prone to flooding from hide tides and storms. When the town floods, homes are damaged, residents can be cut off from the mainland, and emergency services lose access to parts of the town. 

Everyone agrees this is a problem. And yet local government and citizen action groups sometimes disagree about what to do about it. 

Chris Krahforst, the town’s director of climate adaptation and conservation, does his best to keep Hull’s beaches intact and advocate for residents to learn about climate change and adapt or prepare.

Liz Kay, a resident, organizes outreach programs and is active on a few community citizen action groups dedicated to disseminating information about flooding, climate change, and what to do about it (or not). 

Bartley Kelly, the town’s building commissioner and elected chairman of the redevelopment authority, thinks the town should continue to build to revitalize the economy – and remains skeptical about sea level rise and climate change.

Bryan Fenelon, a born and raised resident of Hull, thinks something ought to be done quickly, without so much red tape. 


To read more about flooding in Massachusetts, with maps, charts, and more, check out The Boston Globe's flooding package here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The GlobeBy The Boston Globe

  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8
  • 3.8

3.8

16 ratings


More shows like The Globe

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,952 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,923 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,054 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,491 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,793 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,738 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,791 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,239 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,200 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

4,039 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,277 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

10,215 Listeners

Love Letters by The Boston Globe

Love Letters

1,327 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,373 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,398 Listeners

Rhode Island Report by The Boston Globe

Rhode Island Report

46 Listeners

Say More by The Boston Globe

Say More

82 Listeners

Shell Game by iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope

Shell Game

1,116 Listeners

Spotlight: Snitch City by The Boston Globe Spotlight Team

Spotlight: Snitch City

583 Listeners