CLIMATE CHANGE: ADAPTING TO THE INEVITABLE?

Dr Colin Brown, of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said: “Climate change shows there will be significant increases in storms as global temperatures rise. These will produce much more intense gales and hurricanes and these, in turn, will produce massive storm surges as they pass over the sea.”

In a report published last month, the IMechE warned that the country will face massive disruption to its transport and energy systems. Many rail lines run along valleys which will be flooded.

The IMechE has warned that many areas of the country may have to be abandoned because they are too expensive to protect.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ latest environment theme report is Climate Change: Adapting to the Inevitable? It considers the possible climate changes which we may expect over the next 1,000 years due to continuing CO2 emissions, and recommends what engineers need to do to adapt to our future world so that we can cope with these changes.

Man’s activities are causing the world’s climate to change rapidly. Although many nations will be able to cope with the impacts of climate change in the short term, albeit at a cost, long term, it will be a very different story. Global governments will be meeting in November 2009 to agree a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, proposing reducing global carbon dioxide emissions by mitigation.

However, as global emissions are not reducing and the climate is changing, the more pragmatic approach, as suggested by the Institution, is that only by adapting our behaviour can we hope to secure long-term human survival. We have to look at how engineers might help our world to adapt to changes over the next few centuries.

The effects of temperature increase – the heart of climate change – will be felt globally. For developed countries, such as the UK, flooding and rising sea levels will be a massive problem – a 7m rise in sea levels would mean the abandonment of most parts of London which border the Thames ie Canary Wharf, Chelsea and Westminster. For developing countries such as Botswana there would be extreme social and economic issues.

Four areas of engineering are considered under the above climate scenarios: energy, water, buildings, and transport, and how they will need to be adapted to deliver a more resilient and robust adaptive management system.

What needs to happen?
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers therefore recommends the following:

Rising sea levels and increased flooding will require serious consideration of the viability of settlements, transport routes and infrastructure
To protect the welfare of its citizens governments must support climate adaptation
More research, development and investment in renewable energy sources is required to offset the loss of fossil fuels
We have to invest in Carbon Capture and Storage technology
The industrialised world has to take the lead in taking responsibility for the economic needs of vulnerable nations