Can Seawalls Save Us? – The New Yorker
“…the journalist Stephen Robert Miller, tells a story of double-edged engineering in Bangladesh, where the flow of water and sediment creates a rich and ever-changing agricultural zone. The region ‘is not so much a world pestered by water as one defined by it,'” Miller writes.”
3 Must-Read Books to Kick Off the New Year – Sierra Magazine
“Those histories, and how they intersect with the ways in which we are or are not preparing sufficiently enough for a changing climate, are the focus of this expertly researched investigation that is equal parts road trip and cautionary tale. .. Through his scrupulous eye toward colonial development, we learn how corruption, or sometimes just plain ignorance, led to infrastructure goofs that make no sense, such as growing thirsty cotton crops in a dry environment like Arizona.”
Designing Climate Adaptations for People, Not Profit – Atmos Magazine
“Over the Seawall is a book about highly technical events and projects, but I rarely found myself confused or bored. That’s part of Miller’s allure. … Over the Seawall serves as a call to action—a reminder that government officials and private investors aren’t the only ones who carry the torch and light fires. … Though the book touches on many topics—policy, activism, climate denial, and public health—it’s ultimately about human history. It paints a terrifying portrait of what we can expect for the future should we as a public allow our leaders to forget past mistakes.”
OTSW Reviewed in Publishers Weekly
Miller, by his own admission, “shies from championing solutions,” but the picture that emerges from his thorough reporting illuminates the hidden dangers in apparently easy solutions to climate problems. The result is a thought-provoking exploration of the “unintended consequences” of climate policy.
Sea change: Longmont author grapples with the flaws in our climate crisis strategy – Boulder Weekly
Miller acknowledges that a book like this can be pretty heavy on the doom and gloom, especially when he points out the solutions that people have engineered aren’t actually going to save us. “But my whole point is that it’s our tendency to fall for simple solutions that keeps putting us in these predicaments,” he says.
“A critical, important, downright informative read about climate change” – Dayton Daily News
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ON THE AIR
Climate Adaptation is Backfiring – Science, Quickly from Scientific American, Nov. 2023
The choices we make in how we adapt to climate change can sometimes come back to bite us.
Over the Seawall on America Adapts podcast
Stephen talks with climate change adaptation expert Doug Parsons about climate solutions and the risk of maladaptation on one of the best podcasts in the field.
The delusion of controlling nature – The Point, WCAI/NPR
As extreme weather becomes more common, humans are turning to engineering and technology to outwit nature. Unfortunately there are many unintended consequences of these strategies. On The Point, we talk with Stephen Robert Miller about some examples of these failures- from seawalls in coastal Japan to the reengineered waters in the Ganges River Delta. We discuss why working with nature is our best path forward.
Humans are hard-wired to adapt. But adapting to climate change can be a thorny pursuit, KUNC, Nov. 8, 2023
Longmont author and journalist Stephen Robert Miller is fascinated by climate disaster stories. He says they’re often teachable moments.
What happens when climate adaptation goes wrong? Land and Climate Review, Nov. 2023
Live on the Air with KGNU, Boulder, Colorado, Oct. 24, 2023
Listen here! One of the key things that makes us human is our ability to problem-solve. But often our engineered fixes backfire and even make the problem we’re trying to solve much worse. How On Earth host Susan Moran interviews journalist Stephen Robert Miller about how this applies to massive seawalls, re-engineered rivers, grandiose canals (such as the Central Arizona Project) and other technological fixes that have unintended consequences.
Interview with the New Books Network, Oct. 2023
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.
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EVENTS
April 11, 2024 – Town Hall Seattle – Seattle, Wash.
April 2, 2024 – Changing Hands Bookstore – Phoenix, Ariz.
Feb. 2, 2024 – Lavra Lecture Series – San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Jan. 31, 2024 – Warwick’s – La Jolla, Calif.
Nov. 28, 2023 – Boulder Bookstore – Boulder, Colo.
Nov. 2, 2023 – University of Colorado – Boulder, Colo.
STEPHEN ROBERT MILLER 