populous

Our cities are sinking

June 24, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A new study by the Columbia University Climate School has found that all of the 28 most populous cities in the United States are sinking to some extent. This phenomenon of subsidence is not just taking place in cities on the coast, where relative sea level is an issue, but also in cities in the interior.

The primary cause of subsidence is large-scale groundwater extraction for human use. When water is withdrawn from aquifers made up of fine-grained sediments, the pore spaces formerly occupied by water can eventually collapse, leading to compaction below and sinkage at the surface.

The fastest sinking city in the US is Houston, with more than 40% of its area subsiding more than 5 millimeters a year and 12% sinking at twice that rate. Some local spots are going down as much as 5 centimeters a year. These seem like very small numbers but the fact that the subsidence is often not uniform across an urban area means that there are stresses to building foundations and other infrastructure. Parts of Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and San Francisco have particularly fast sinking zones.

There are other causes of subsidence. In Texas, pumping of oil and gas adds to the phenomenon. A 2023 study found that New York City’s more than one million buildings are pressing down on the Earth so hard that they may be contributing to the city’s ongoing subsidence. About 1% of the total area of the country’s 28 largest cities faces some danger from uneven subsidence.

Overall, some 34 million Americans live in cities affected by subsidence. Global cities facing especially rapid subsidence include Jakarta, Venice, and here in the U.S., New Orleans.

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All of the Biggest U.S. Cities Are Sinking

Photo, posted December 27, 2012, courtesy of Katie Haugland Bowen via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The last coal plant in Britain

October 31, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Industrial Revolution, which basically got underway in the mid-19th century, was largely enabled by coal, which fueled iron manufacturing, railroads, steam engines, and more. Most of these things got their start in Britain, which inspired the rest of the world to follow suit.

The world’s first coal-burning power plant began producing electricity at the Holborn Viaduct in London in 1882. This September, Britain – the birthplace of coal power – shut down its last coal-burning power station when the 2,000-megawatt Ratcliffe-on-Soar facility ceased operations. Uniper, the company that operated the plant, will be converting the 750-acre site to a low-carbon energy hub.

Shutting down coal plants is not a simple matter, as they are the lifeblood of entire towns and regions where they are located. Finding fair transitions for workers is an uphill battle that has to take place in many locations.

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel, producing more greenhouse gas than others, but historically was the cheapest and most abundant source of power in many countries. In recent decades, it has been replaced by gas, nuclear power, and most recently, renewables like wind and solar.

The coal era has ended in much of the world. The United States still gets 16% of its electricity from coal, but that number keeps getting smaller. Unfortunately, the great majority of coal use is in the world’s two most populous countries: India and China. Both are adding renewable energy sources, but both have rapidly climbing energy demand. China’s coal consumption is expected to peak this year and flatten out. But there is still work to be done to bring an end to coal power.

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Britain Shuts Down Last Coal Plant, ‘Turning Its Back on Coal Forever’

Photo, posted March 13, 2016, courtesy of Arran Bee via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio