Generating power from human waste and resurfacing the UK’s road network are among the recommendations made by engineers in the most extensive study to date of how to protect the country’s infrastructure from the worst effects of climate change.
Extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, heatwaves and more intense storms are expected to become more common as the world warms. This means vital infrastructure – including transport, sewage and water treatment, and electricity and communications networks – is vulnerable to severe damage. But the UK is unprepared for these effects, according to the leading professional bodies for engineers.
“We need to have a debate on this – it all depends on what politicians are prepared to do,” said David Nickols, chair of the water panel at the Institution of Civil Engineers, and one of the authors of the report published today by the Royal Academy of Engineering and seven other professional engineering bodies, representing nearly half a million engineers.
Drought damaging fnfrastructure? That is a new one.
As the claim of more intense storms is dubious at best. For NW Europe, there has not been anything recenty comparable to the Windstorm of 1703 when thousands were kiled, or the great floods of 1953 when the North Sea inundated much of Holland
Dead right Andy.
We keep being told that the London Barrier is being raised more often but the East coast from Yorkshire down to Canvey Island which is still as vulnerable as ever has not seen any flooding as bad as 1953 sice then.
So – it depends on what the politicians are willing to do – with our taxes that is, and to olster any “mitigation” scheme that will provide easy work for civil engineers. Another body chasing the taxpayers’ money rather than wanting to compete in the market.
Doesn’t bio-fuel create 4 times the CO2 petroleum does?