One of the best known folktales from Sicilly is the story of the amphibic boy Colapesce, who saves the city Messina (or the island of sicily according to some texts) from drowning. There are several divergent versions of the story, apparently the oldest one dating...
In this speech, Colette Pichon Battle, formerly of Gulf South Center for Law and Policy and now working with Taproot Earth, explains why in cimate change adaptation the local knowledge of "frontline communities" is important and why and how the local initiativves need...
In folktales from various cultures there are tales of sea animals so big, that they get mistaken for islands. In some stories, sailors land on them and spend time on "land" before realizing that they are actually on top of a living, breathing animal. These islands...
In her account of the Tsunami of December 2004 on the coast of Sri Lanka, Sunali Deraniyagala describes the first moments after she had almost drowned and was seperated from her family in the deluge: "I heard voices. Distant at first, then close. It was a group of...
In her book published in 2013, Sri Lanka born academic and writer Deraniyagala describes her experiences as a flood victim in the Tsunami of 2004 in the Indian Ocean, refered to in English speaking countries as "Boxing Day Tsunami". Much of the book is devoted to her...
Waves are a popular element in Japanese arts and crafts, particularly in the many wood carvings from the 19. century, like the famous "Great Wave" (around 1830) by Hokusai. Here is an example, a small saucer from a random Asian food store in Germany: In an...
These images are from an exhibition at the Japanese Palais in Dresden in 2023. The installation is by the Czech artist group Forman Brothers. The look is very reminiscent of Japanese art. The design here uses only the wave crests to signify water, the ground is left...
In 2019 this 120 year old lighthouse on the Denish coast had to be moved 70 meters back The 23-meter-high lighthouse is located on a cliff about 60 meters above sea level. When it was put into operation, the cliff was about 200 meters from the sea. In the end, it was...
Already in 1986 the well known German news-magazine Der Spiegel published this image on it's front page. It depicts the Dome of Cologne, one of the most important cultural heritage sites of Germany, partially flooded. The visual strategies of the media have not...
The New Harbour in Bremerhaven is protected by a dike. Behind the dike lie the German Maritime Museum, the Klimahaus and further behind the city's center. Right behind the dike stands a sculpture to commemorate the danger of storm surges. Copper rings on the pole of...
