eg magazine sustainability, resource efficiency & climate change

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/programme/infrastructure.htm

In April 2009, the Government launched a two-year cross-departmental  project to identify and examine strategic solutions to improve the long-term resilience of new and existing infrastructure in the energy, telecommunications, transport and water sectors to future climate change impacts. The project has a number of work streams to enable it to meet this aim. It will report its overall findings and recommendations in March 2011. The following information has recently become available: 

An independent report to the cross-departmental Infrastructure and Adaptation project sets out the case for adapting infrastructure in the energy, transport and water sectors so that new and existing infrastructure is able to operate effectively in a long-term changing climate. The report by URS Corporation Ltd shows that infrastructure in these three priority sectors is potentially at risk, technically and operationally, from climate change if they do not plan effectively now to cope with its affects. The report focuses on the long-term impacts of climate change (2030s to 2100) to the infrastructure in the three sectors, setting out:

• The long-term risks from climate change to the infrastructure, both technically and operationally;

• The need to consider the interdependency risks of the infrastructure system;

• The need for all infrastructure to consider the long-term impacts of climate change in its design, build and operation;

• The adaptation options available as well as the barriers that could prevent action.

Proceedings are also available from a joint Defra and Engineering for the Future conference, held in London on 1 December 2009, which brought together high-level representatives from across the engineering profession, industry, Government and academia to focus on the challenge of how to adapt the country’s infrastructure to the long-term impacts of climate change and how engineering can play a part in meeting this challenge.