• Members Only
    • Login

Canadian Association for the Club of Rome

Become active - It's your duty!

  • Home
  • About
    • About the Club
    • Meet our Directors and Members
    • CACOR Groups
  • Articles
    • Climate
    • CACOR Groups
    • Quotes
    • Trending
    • CACOR Writers
    • What are you doing
    • Solutions
    • CACOR YouTube
  • Events & Resources
    • Luncheon Events
    • CACOR Forum
    • Presentations
    • Resources
    • Announcements
  • Contact Us
  • Join Us
    • Apply for Membership

January 18, 2019

NCA 4: Transportation

City transportation. Photo by Mukund Nair on UnsplashTransportation is the backbone of economic activity, connecting manufacturers with supply chains, consumers with products and tourism, and people with their workplaces, homes, and communities across both urban and rural landscapes. However, the ability of the transportation sector to perform reliably, safely, and efficiently is undermined by a changing climate. Heavy precipitation, coastal flooding, heat, wildfires, freeze–thaw cycles, and changes in average precipitation and temperature impact individual assets across all modes. These impacts threaten the performance of the entire network, with critical ramifications for economic vitality and mobility, particularly for vulnerable populations and urban infrastructure.

Sea level rise is progressively making coastal roads and bridges more vulnerable and less functional. Many coastal cities across the United States have already experienced an increase in high tide flooding that reduces the functionality of low-elevation roadways, rail, and bridges, often causing costly congestion and damage to infrastructure. Inland transportation infrastructure is highly vulnerable to intense rainfall and flooding. In some regions, the increasing frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events reduce transportation system efficiency and increase accident risk. High temperatures can stress bridge integrity and have caused more frequent and extended delays to passenger and freight rail systems and air traffic.

Transportation is not only vulnerable to impacts of climate change but also contributes significantly to the causes of climate change. In 2016, the transportation sector became the top contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation system is rapidly growing and evolving in response to market demand and innovation. This growth could make climate mitigation and adaptation progressively more challenging to implement and more important to achieve. However, transportation practitioners are increasingly invested in addressing climate risks, as evidenced in more numerous and diverse assessments of transportation sector vulnerabilities across the United States.

Transportation: Key Messages

  1. Risks
    A reliable, safe, and efficient U.S. transportation system is at risk from increases in heavy precipitation, coastal flooding, heat, wildfires, and other extreme events, as well as changes to average temperature. Throughout this century, climate change will continue to pose a risk to U.S. transportation infrastructure, with regional differences.
  2. Impacts
    Extreme events that increasingly impact the transportation network are inducing societal and economic consequences, some of which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. In the absence of intervention, future changes in climate will lead to increasing transportation challenges, particularly because of system complexity, aging infrastructure, and dependency across sectors.
  3. Vulnerability Assessments
    Engineers, planners, and researchers in the transportation field are showing increasing interest and sophistication in understanding the risks that climate hazards pose to transportation assets and services. Transportation practitioner efforts demonstrate the connection between advanced assessment and the implementation of adaptive measures, though many communities still face challenges and barriers to action.

The “Transportation” publication is available as a downloadable PDF at Link to Source…

Article posted by Michael Krakowiak / Articles, Solutions / climate change, transportation Leave a Comment

Read more articles like this. Sign up for our latest updates.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay informed …

Upcoming Events

  1. Investigative journalism and climate change

    February 20 @ 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
  2. Ship in the Arctic

    February CMOS Ottawa Lunch Meeting: risks, opportunities, and management needs for increased shipping traffic in Arctic Canada

    February 25 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

View All Events ...

Recent Articles

  • Suffering is Optional, But Pain is Necessary
  • Economic Orthodoxy versus Climate Change: It doesn’t work
  • Philosophy can make the previously unthinkable thinkable

Topics

Monthly Archives

Connect with us

Membership

Apply for membership.
 

Apply

Donate

CACOR is a registered charity.

Donate

Details

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • FAQ
  • Sitemap

© 2019 · Canadian Association for the Club of Rome · Built by Creative Integration Web Design · Contact Us