Home > Transport, infrastructure and building

Transport, infrastructure and building

More routes for trans-Arctic shipping will open in the next 50 years

Trans-Arctic shipping will be relatively risky until about 2045, because of fast ice formation and sea ice ridging. But new routes across the Arctic will open in due course, perhaps as early as 2070.

The costs of damage of permafrost thawing in the Arctic will be about $200 billion by mid-century

The thawing of the permafrost in the Arctic is causing damage to the infrastructure and buildings of the Arctic states. Russia is expected to have the highest burden of costs.

Loss of sea ice in the Arctic: Sad testimony of climate change, good news for the economy

Ship navigation routes are opening across the Arctic. Summer sea ice extent has been declining for half a century. Opportunities for the economy, maybe not so much for local communities.

Is Europe’s infrastructure resilient enough for future rainstorms?

Climate change impact on extreme precipitation in Europe calls into question the resilience of the existing infrastructure under more frequent and intense rainstorms in the future.

River flood risk of Europe’s road network highest in Germany, France and Italy

The current expected annual direct damage from large river floods to road infrastructure in Europe is about € 230 million per year. Risk hotspots are parts of Germany, France, Italy, and Scandinavia.

Climate change already affects airplane take-offs, study for Greek airports shows

Higher air temperature means lower air pressure and a longer distance to take off. At Greek airports this distance has increased over the last decades by a few metres per year.

Global warming will increase damage of river flooding to European railways

River flood risk to European railways, €581 million per year in recent decades, could increase substantially: by up to 310% under a 3 °C warming scenario, according to recent estimates.

Permafrost changes are damaging winter sport infrastructure in the French Alps

The number of damaged infrastructures seems to be small still: 12 out of 947 infrastructures since the 1990s. Numbers have doubled, though, between 2010 and 2018 compared with the period 2000-2010.

Strong impact of warming permafrost on Russia’s buildings and infrastructure

By mid-century, little over 100 billion USD of buildings, structures and infrastructure in Russia’s permafrost regions will be negatively affected by permafrost changes, a recent assessment shows.

What are the climate change impacts European Road Authorities have to adapt to?

All over Europe, climate change will increase extreme weather impacts on the roads. This increase will accelerate towards the end of this century. As a result, maintenance needs to be adapted.

Future heat waves, droughts and floods in 571 European cities

More frequent and hotter heat waves in cities in southern and central Europe, more droughts in the south and more river flooding in the cities of north-western Europe, a recent assessment shows.

Annual damage to Europe’s critical infrastructure may increase 10-fold this century

Infrastructure that ensures Europeans’ health, wealth and security will be affected by climate change. Annual damage may increase 10-fold this century, especially due to droughts and heat waves.

More often, flights will be bumpy due to turbulence increase under climate  change

Clear-air turbulence accounts for 24% of weather-related accidents. The volume of this turbulence may double in 50 years over North America, the North Pacific, and Europe under climate change.

Ground settlement due to melting permafrost will affect a large part of the Northern Hemisphere

Under 2°C global warming the permafrost extent of the Northern Hemisphere will decrease by about 25%. Ground will settle owing to permafrost thaw, 4-15 cm on average, but up to several metres locally.

How to protect office-workers from future heat stress?

In an urban office building without active cooling, the number of lost working hours may quadruple between now and 2100. Effective adaptation measures may reduce this up to 90%.

Europe’s infrastructure more often damaged by heavy precipitation

Heavy precipitation events are likely to become more frequent and intense, and will affect wider areas. Damage to Europe’s infrastructure will occur more often.

Extreme weather impacts on critical infrastructure

A conference on the impact of extreme weather on critical infrastructure was organized at Deltares (the Netherlands) on March 23 2017. Final results were presented of the European INTACT project.

It pays off to adapt road and rail transport to climate change. Austria as an example

Weather-induced costs to road and rail transport will increase. The indirect costs to the economy are larger than these direct costs, however. Because of this, it pays off to adapt.

Trucks, could they cease to be an environmental concern?

Pollutant emissions spew from all corners of the planet and transport within the commercial and industrial sector especially bears no small degree of guilt.

Arctic sea ice decline reduces sailing time from Europe to Asia by almost half

One of the benefits of climate change is the use of Arctic sea for trans-Arctic shipping routes. Less ice in summer creates a shortcut between Pacific and Atlantic ports.

How to anticipate climate change in large infrastructure projects - Examples from Swedish reservoirs

Presented by Gunn Persson (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute SMHI) at the 4th Nordic Conference on Climate Change Adaptation in Bergen, Norway, August 2016.

The potential of green and blue infrastructure to reduce urban heat load in the city of Vienna

Numerous concepts have been developed to mitigate the heat load in urban areas, such as customizing urban vegetation for shading and evaporative cooling, introducing open water

How cities can beat the heat

What measures may be effective in reducing the urban heat island effect and cool down cities during heat waves? A comparison of recent insights from scientific studies

Wave-driven harbour agitation due to climate change in Catalan ports

Changes in coastal wave patterns due to the effect of climate change can affect harbour agitation (oscillations within the  port due to wind waves).

Adapting rail and road networks to weather extremes: case studies for southern Germany and Austria

In the past decade, winter consequences and flood events accounted for 96% of the total rail and road networks costs in the Alps, 92% in mid-Europe and 91% across EUR29.

Costs estimates of weather extremes on transport now and in 40 years

Railways are the losers of climate change thanks to their expensive—and therefore vulnerable—infrastructure and their complex vehicle routing system and high safety standards.

Extreme weather and climate change impacts on inland waterway transport

On the Rhine–Main–Danube corridor no decrease in the performance of inland waterway transport due to extreme weather events is expected till 2050.

Extreme weather challenging European transport systems

Better technologies and higher safety standards will influence the accident rate more than the expected weather changes

Bulk cargo companies vulnerabilities at low water on the Rhine

The vulnerability of bulk cargo companies along the River Rhine to low water periods has been studied for the near and distant future.

Climate change adaptation for seaports

The Port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) is an example of a seaport that has already taken steps toward adaptation. This port joined forces with

Impacts on UK railway network

Possible temperature-related climate change impacts on the main line railway network of Great Britain have been assessed. Regional climate model projections for the future period 2030–2059

Consequences for inland waterway transport in Europe

At extremely low water levels, the price per tonne for inland waterway transport in the river Rhine area will almost double. These increased transport prices result in welfare losses.