Cities must be futureproofed for climate change

Protecting infrastructure against the damaging effects of climate change is a top priority of cities around the world. The technologies we develop in the next few years will be vital in ensuring mega-cities, tens of millions of people strong, remain resilient to extreme weather. Engineering solutions are becoming more common as we weatherproof our cities for the 21st century. Countries such as Australia, which have already suffered an increase in disastrous flooding events, have turned to a process called foamed bitumen stabilization. This involves injecting small amounts of air and cold water underneath roads, waterproofing them and making them more resistant to floods.

More than a decade ago, Australia was hit by devastating flooding across the state of Queensland. More than 19,000 kilometers of roads were damaged, crippling nationwide infrastructure and severely hampering the efficiency of delivery services, transport, and emergency workers alike.

The process of foamed bitumen to prevent water damage to roads involves injecting small amounts of air and cold water into the tarmac to form a water-resilient layer. This material remains flexible and can withstand flooding, meaning that Australia is better prepared for heavier wet seasons forecast to come in the next few decades.

Despite efforts from countries including China, the United States, and the United Kingdom in lowering carbon emissions, the rate at which climate change is accelerating means that engineering solutions such as foamed bitumen may very well become unavoidable in the next few years. Whether it be sea level rises, flooding, or high temperatures, different cities around the world may find themselves facing a number of engineering challenges.

As sea levels rise, the most obvious issue is preventing vulnerable low-altitude cities, such as Jakarta, Rotterdam and Bangkok, from being encroached by the ocean. Elevating structures to be above rising sea levels or constructing buildings from water-resistant materials will become necessary to avoid disaster. Many cities around the world are implementing expensive and unsightly sea walls and surge barriers. However, by restoring their natural environments, many areas will enjoy even better protection by maintaining their ecology of mangroves and wetlands, which act as a natural barrier.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, drought is starting to affect many states and cities such as California and Cape Town. The South African city has experienced such a drastic change to its weather patterns that water consumption has reduced to 38 percent through regulations on its citizens. However, behavioral changes are only part of the picture. Switching to drought-resistant crops like maize and cowpeas will significantly reduce the amount of water consumed in an industry as H20-intensive as agriculture. Investing into desalinization infrastructure would further increase water efficiency in areas where sea water is abundant.

Ingenious engineering solutions provide options for many cities facing climate change. Coupled with reducing our carbon emissions and switching to renewable energy sources, futureproofing our largest cities will no doubt lessen the impact of the coming changing decades.

Architects, urban planners, and engineers will soon find that their weatherproofing industries will expand in demand and depth, with climate change issues demanding and attracting the very top levels of expertise. What is now needed is the political will from governments to install these safeguarding infrastructures, to act as adequate prevention, rather than to clean up expensive mistakes.