ProPublica and the Texas Tribune published an in-depth investigation about Houston’s vulnerabilities in 2016 titled “Boomtown, Flood Town,” which notes: “Climate change will bring more frequent and fierce rainstorms to cities like Houston. But unchecked development remains a priority in the famously un-zoned city, creating short-term economic gains for some while increasing flood risks for everyone.” The reporting offers analysis as well as graphs and maps showing how building in Houston has aggravated problems and threats.

Michael E. Mann, distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University, just wrote the piece “It’s a fact: climate change made Hurricane Harvey more deadly” for The Guardian.

FREDERICK MAGDOFF, fmagdoff at uvm.edu
Professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont, Magdoff is co-author of What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism.

VICTOR WALLIS, zendive at aol.com
Wallis wrote the in-depth piece “Socialism and Technology: A Sectoral Overview” for the journal Capitalism Nature Socialism, which offers a critique of corporate capitalist agriculture. He also wrote the article “Beyond ‘Green Capitalism‘” for Monthly Review, which calls attention to the long-term approach characteristic of indigenous communities’ relations to the Earth.

STAN COX, cox at landinstitute.org
Cox is research coordinator at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas. He is co-author of the recently-released book How the World Breaks: Life in Catastrophe’s Path, from the Caribbean to Siberia.

In addition to the above ecological analysis:

FRANCIS BOYLE, fboyle at illinois.edu
Professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, Boyle’s books include Biowarfare and Terrorism. He notes a lack of government assurance and media inquiry regarding the state of the BSL-4 biolab at hard hit Galveston. ABC News reported in 2013: “Texas Biolab Loses Deadly Guanarito Virus.”