Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation: Special Report 290

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation: Special Report 290
ISBN-10
0309113067
ISBN-13
9780309113069
Category
Business & Economics
Pages
280
Language
English
Published
2008-07-16
Publisher
Transportation Research Board
Authors
Division on Earth and Life Studies, Committee on Climate Change and U.S. Transportation

Description

While every mode of transportation in the U.S. will be affected as the climate changes, potentially the greatest impact on transportation systems will be flooding of roads, railways, transit systems, and airport runways in coastal areas because of rising sea levels and surges brought on by more intense storms, says a new report from the National Research Council. Though the impacts of climate change will vary by region, it is certain they will be widespread and costly in human and economic terms, and will require significant changes in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of transportation systems. The U.S. transportation system was designed and built for local weather and climate conditions, predicated on historical temperature and precipitation data. The report finds that climate predictions used by transportation planners and engineers may no longer be reliable, however, in the face of new weather and climate extremes. Infrastructure pushed beyond the range for which it was designed can become stressed and fail, as seen with loss of the U.S. 90 Bridge in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Other editions

Similar books