Climate change is already contributing to the disruption of electrical distribution systems; overtaxed water and stormwater infrastructure; flooded neighborhoods, roads and transportation systems; deterioration of bridges and pipelines; and the premature failure of dams and other critical infrastructure. As sea levels rise, intensifying precipitation, increasing temperatures, and other extreme weather-related events affect America’s infrastructure at an accelerating rate, it is the duty of the engineering community to meet this challenge through our policies, planning, and professional practice in collaboration with other built environment (public agencies, regulators, owners, planners, designers, constructors, operators and maintainers, and users) stakeholders.
In response, ASCE published Policy Statement 500 (“Resilient Infrastructure”) which outlines ASCE’s commitment to supporting “initiatives that increase the resilience of infrastructure, buildings, and communities against man-made and natural hazards.” Unique among these hazards, however, is climate change. Not only does climate change—manifesting as stronger and more frequent tropical storms, heat waves, wildfires, prolonged droughts, and higher high tides, for example—pose a serious threat to our aging and deteriorating infrastructure today, we know beyond all doubt that the threat will worsen significantly as the century progresses.
As stewards of our public infrastructure, engineers must make sure future risks are reflected in the design, construction, and management of these assets. As non-stationarity has become the new normal, we can no longer assume constant climactic operating conditions and our codes, standards, and design guidelines must evolve. In response, a few cities and agencies have developed standards that account for projected sea level rise and increased precipitation durations and amounts throughout the expected useful life of an infrastructure asset.
However, many—if not most—infrastructure owners may not have the knowledge, expertise, resources, or authority to develop and apply a custom standard. Professional Engineers abide by a “standard of care” however engineers do not have the needed codes and standards that address the impacts of climate change putting engineers at risk of violating their “standard of care.” This is why it is critical that ASCE collaborate with other engineering organizations to find sound engineering solutions for future weather extremes to “protect the health, safety and well-being of the public”.
.jpg "Chris Stone, P.E., F.ASCE photo")
