Disposable City

Miami's Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe

By: Mario Alejandro Ariza

Narrated by: Ron Butler

A deeply reported personal investigation by a Miami journalist examines the present and future effects of climate change in the Magic City -- a watery harbinger for coastal cities worldwide.
Miami, Florida, is likely to be entirely underwater by the end of this century. Residents are already starting to see the effects of sea level rise today. From sunny day flooding caused by higher tides to a sewer system on the brink of total collapse, the city undeniably lives in a climate changed world.

In Disposable City, Miami resident Mario Alejandro Ariza shows us not only what climate change looks like on the ground today, but also what Miami will look like 100 years from now, and how that future has been shaped by the city's racist past and present. As politicians continue to kick the can down the road and Miami becomes increasingly unlivable, real estate vultures and wealthy residents will be able to get out or move to higher ground, but the most vulnerable communities, disproportionately composed of people of color, will face flood damage, rising housing costs, dangerously higher temperatures, and stronger hurricanes that they can't afford to escape.

Miami may be on the front lines of climate change, but the battle it's fighting today is coming for the rest of the U.S. -- and the rest of the world -- far sooner than we could have imagined even a decade ago. Disposable City is a thoughtful portrait of both a vibrant city with a unique culture and the social, economic, and psychic costs of climate change that call us to act before it's too late.

Critic reviews

"A forceful depiction of a global crisis viewed through the lens of one of the world's most vulnerable cities."
—Kirkus

"Ariza blends recent research from scientists, conversations with residents, economic trends and history in a richly reported odyssey of one city's response to a growing crisis. Weaving in his own deeply personal narrative, Ariza shows the effects of the rising tide aren't just about environmental and infrastructural change -- they also impact individual lives."—Discover Magazine

"Disposable City is a vivid and well-executed portrait of a city undergoing climate metamorphosis."—Julian Brave NoiseCat, Fellow, Type Media Center

"Few places on earth make clearer the danger we're facing as a civilization: this absorbing tour of Miami (past, present, and future) will leave you insistent on joining the fight to slow down global warming!"—Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

Great eye opening book for the outlook of South Fl

This book goes into the specifics of how South Florida will transform from it's current form. Sea level rise will be a big pitfall for most of South Florida, but has not been properly address by the powers that be. This book is very transparent in its assessment of what will most likely go wrong and how to mitigate it as of 2021.

Significantly Insightful

Informative & well researched .
A book that shares the complexities of our society when it come to effectively dealing with climate change .

Compelling facts told in story form!

I was so moved by many angles presented by Mario related to the plight of Miami as the sea level rises. While filled with facts, the “story” is compelling. Great Read!!

Hopeful Future

An honest yet inspiring insight on the future of Miami. I hope many more Miamians will hear this message.