Civil engineering's role in reducing the risk of climate change

The American Surveyor: As leaders of the civil engineering profession gathered in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador to discuss the challenges and risks faced by coastal communities worldwide at the 2009 Triennial Conference, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) jointly signed an agreement on Civil Engineering and Climate Change. Based on the belief that “substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required to reduce the risk of climate change” and that “the effects of climate change include reduced access to drinking water supplies, increased exposure to flooding and the threat to flood security in large parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America,” the agreement outlines civil engineers’ role in the solution, as well as key engineering and public policy priorities.

“Climate change is posing serious risks to the infrastructure systems that support our global economy, and more importantly, the ability of communities worldwide to prosper and thrive,” said ASCE President D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE. “As civil engineers, it is our duty to assure the performance of those critical systems, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and complying with the principles of sustainable development must play a major role in our efforts to mitigate the risks we face.”

“Developing technologies to mitigate the impacts of climate change is a challenge for all engineers,” said CSCE President Gordon Jin, P.Eng., FCSCE. “This agreement sends a clear signal to our respective policy makers that civil engineers are at the forefront of this crucial issue, and highlights the need for public policy priorities to address this for the good of our planet and its inhabitants.”

….Civil engineers are central to the success of the infrastructure networks that support our society and global economy. To address the foreseeable climate change impacts on and need for resilience in those networks, design, construction and operation must be changed. To address this crucial issue, the engineering priorities outlined in the agreement focus on two areas, mitigation and adaptation….

Archimedes and his lever, an engraving from Mechanics Magazine published in London in 1824