



PODCASTS
Listen to podcasts featuring our team members and their research.
How insurance is protecting a coral reef from climate impacts in Mexico
November 5th, 2021
NPR Here & Now
By Scott Tong
Climate change is forcing the insurance industry to adapt and come up with new products. One experiment is testing out a policy to insure nature against extreme storms, specifically a coral reef in Mexico. Here & Now's Scott Tong learns more about the reef with Dr. Michael Beck.
Assessing the Value of Natural and Nature-Based Features in Coastal Storm and Flood Risk Reduction
September 29th, 2020
Engineering With Nature Podcast
By US Army Corps of Engineers
An ecologist by training, Dr. Michael W. Beck had been working on more traditional ecological solutions related to marine protected areas until Hurricane Katrina, when he saw that there was a real need for understanding how natural habitats provide coastal resilience. Now his work focuses on figuring out how investing in nature and nature-based solutions can reduce coastal risk and save lives and money.
Can mangrove conservation pay for itself in flood protection?
April 3rd, 2020
Carbon Removal Newsroom
By Nori
Dr. Michael W. Beck, professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, coauthored a new paper in Scientific Reports entitled, "The Global Flood Protection Benefits of Mangroves". Today we dig into how mangroves work against flooding, their carbon sequestration potential, how to quantify their financial benefit, and how that helps make them legible to financial systems.
Coral Reefs Keep Costly Waves at Bay
June 15th, 2018
Scientific American
By Christopher Intagliata
A new analysis found the flood protection benefits of coral reefs save the global economy $4 billion dollars a year. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Wetlands Could Save Cities--and Money, Too
September 6, 2017
Scientific American
By Christopher Intagliata
Using insurance industry models, researchers determined that wetlands prevented some $625 million in damages due to Hurricane Sandy. Christopher Intagliata reports.