INTRODUCTION

摘要

In 2012, the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean melted to 4.10 million square kilometers, the smallest level to date. 2012 has also been marked by extreme weather, intense storms, drought, heat waves, warming oceans and intense precipitation events in many regions of the world. While climate scientists consider the relationship between climate change and large storms like Hurricane Sandy or the 2010 drought in Russia, many still continue to hum and haw over the extent to which human-induced climate change is responsible for the planet's recent drastic weather patterns. What naysay-ers and climate change exponents can agree on is just how vulnerable we are to natural disasters. The need for balanced and informed discourses around climate and environmental challenges is urgent. How should we rethink our built environments in the wake of recent environmental and climate events?