Abstracts

The Changing Climate and Increasing Vulnerability of Our Infrastructure

Heather Auld
Environment Canada
heather.auld@ec.gc.ca

The changing climate will impact infrastructure through gradual changes in weather patterns, increasing climate variability and potential increases in extremes. Climate change has the potential to affect the safety of existing structures leading to increased risks for weather disasters, to exacerbate premature weathering and the failure of components of all structures and to require changes to engineering codes and practices governing the design of new structures. Because infrastructure is intended to survive for decades to come, it is critically important that adaptation options be developed today and implemented as soon as possible. Several stages of adaptation actions will be required to safeguard existing and future infrastructure. These actions include "no regrets"efforts to reduce the uncertainties in climatic design values for national engineering codes and standards, regular updating of climatic design values as well as monitoring of climate trends affecting these values, consistent forensic analyses of weather-related infrastructure failures, calculation and use of Climate Change Adaptation Factors in engineering codes and standards, regulated community disaster planning, prioritization of adaptation for "at risk" regions and critical infrastructure, regular maintenance of existing infrastructure and changed engineering practices and codes. In addition, these actions may eventually need to be combined with other "tough" actions that include avoidance of development in vulnerable areas and ongoing incorporation of adaptation strategies into land use planning.

2005-04-05