Rising global temperatures have led to more intense heat waves, stronger hurricanes and floods, longer wildfire seasons, and widespread droughts.
Copernicus data shows that from July 2023 until August 2024, for a consecutive 13 months, global average temperatures were 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.
A 2024 report from the OECD details the growing pressure of these climate events on infrastructure, including electricity, communication, transport networks, and water and waste treatment.
It recommends governments factor climate resilience into infrastructure planning and decision-making and prioritize sustainable projects to help reduce societal and economic vulnerability and avoid long-term costs. The report estimates that US$6.9 trillion in infrastructure investment is needed annually by 2030 to meet climate resilience and sustainability goals, particularly in meeting the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise by 1.5°C.
Infrastructure contributes significantly to climate change, first through its operational emissions and second through its embodied emissions through material usage. According to the UNEP, nearly 80% of global GHG emissions are linked to infrastructure.
However, infrastructure can also play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions. What is built and how it is built can impact how the planet lowers carbon emissions.
Choosing low-carbon design and materials, investments in public transport, and green infrastructure are examples of how infrastructure can contribute to climate stability and a healthier and more sustainable environment and economy.
What is sustainable infrastructure?
Sustainable infrastructure is practical and innovative. It uses low-carbon materials and design alternatives considering the natural and built environment. The design also considers the infrastructure project’s whole-life carbon footprint.
It integrates the circular economy into the project from design to construction to maintenance towards its end of life and how it will be treated, whether as a whole or in parts, integrating the recycling and reuse principles leading to reduced waste and environmental impact.
The pivotal role of technology
Advancements in technology, engineering, and AI can combine to go past beyond traditional infrastructure and address the challenges we face today- the increasing frequency and intensity of weather events call for the need for resilient infrastructure and demands from population growth and development while protecting the environment and biodiversity for our continuous survival.
Today, digital tools and applications like AI and digital twins make it easier for engineers, architects, and other experts to work together on designing sustainable infrastructure.
For instance, professionals can enhance infrastructure design using generative design. This approach can streamline the engineering process, leading to more precise assumptions and calculations. It can ultimately save time and money while achieving optimal engineering solutions.
It emphasizes using low-carbon materials and designs, aligns with users’ and sustainability objectives, and can even incorporate elements of the circular economy. The result is a faster design process that eliminates repetitive tasks, boosting efficiency and project quality.
Future opportunities
The global building stock is projected to double compared to the current flood space over the next forty years, which means another 242 billion square meters will be added.
Emissions from just four basic materials—cement, iron, steel, and aluminum—already account for 7.3% of annual global carbon dioxide emissions.
If the world continues to use traditional methods for manufacturing materials, designing, and constructing buildings and infrastructure, it will continue on its dangerous global warming trajectory, which will have catastrophic and costly impacts on people and society as we know it.
The future demand for infrastructure presents an excellent opportunity to lower the carbon intensity of these future building stocks in terms of embodied and operational carbon from the manufacturing of construction materials, construction, use and maintenance, and the end-of-life stage.
Sources:
Peissel, E. (2024, September 6). Designing to Achieve Sustainable Infrastructure. WSP. Retrieved from https://www.wsp.com/en-sa/insights/designing-to-achieve-sustainable-infrastructure
Melvill, J., & van Heeren, D. (2023, September 13). Generative Design Advances Maritime Infrastructure. Retrieved from https://www.wsp.com/en-gl/insights/generative-design-advances-maritime-infrastructure
New report reveals how infrastructure defines our climate. (2021, October 12). UNEP. Retrieved from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/new-report-reveals-how-infrastructure-defines-our-climate
Infrastructure for a Climate-Resilient Future. (2024, April 9). OECD Report. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2024/04/infrastructure-for-a-climate-resilient-future_c6c0dc64.html
Building the future: Reducing carbon footprints across the entire infrastructure lifecycle. (2024, September 27). World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/09/building-future-reducing-carbon-footprints-across-infrastructure-lifecycle/
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