Climate Change and the Global Fabric of our Daily Lives
Rising seas, melting Arctic ice, hellish fires and devastating droughts: these are the products of our ever-warming climate, increasing in their frequency and and potentially unforgiving in their intensity. The effects of climate are, and will continue to be, profound. Property, habitats, and livelihoods are at risk for damage, and disruptions have the potential to have substantial effects on our global economy (with an especially strong fallout in developing countries). These issues, along with increased spread of disease and exposure to extreme heat, has deleterious health effects too: the World Health Organization estimates that, between the years 2030 and 2050, climate change can cause 250,000 additional deaths per year. Climate change does not discriminate by borders; the responsibility of mitigating it and adapting to what we can’t prevent is one that lies on our global shoulders.
The fabric of our daily lives — powered by energy, sheltered by our buildings, and assisted by our transport systems — finds itself in a nexus between what climate change can negatively affect and what we can do to mitigate or adapt to the effects of climate change. Take, for example, the winter storm in Texas last February, in which an energy grid with little oversight failed spectacularly in the face of unprecedented cold weather. The Texas Interconnection had flaws that, while perhaps apparent prior to the winter storm through modeling and prediction, became glaringly apparent this year. Our energy infrastructure is not prepared for climate change, as noted in an article from Scientific American even 6 years ago — with situations like the one in Texas proving the need to update our infrastructure. In a similar vein, an OECD study of a major flood in Paris found that 35% to 85% of business losses were not necessarily caused by the flood itself, but rather disruption to transportation and the electricity supply in the city. The past will not look like the future, and it’s time we modernize our systems.
People across the globe are moving to urban centers, increasing population density and the strain on resources. Urban areas also contribute to 80% of emissions in North America, despite only occupying 1–5% percent of land cover; similar trends can be found globally. Urban spaces are uniquely susceptible to effects of climate change, with coastal cities especially vulnerable to cyclones and rising sea levels. Water supplies are also under stress due to increasingly severe droughts.
Clearly, infrastructure is both a cause for concern and a key player in the fight against climate change. What can be done?
Investing in sustainable infrastructure can yield economic returns in the long run, despite incurring short-term costs. Global partnerships, as well as public-private partnerships, are key when it comes to financing these types of efforts; there is the capital available to do so, but the task of mobilizing it will require collaboration. Climate resilient infrastructure involves both reform to maintenance (such as being more adaptive in management of systems, since the future still remains uncertain) and structures (such as innovations and new types of architecture).
