Hobbies And Interests
Effects of Climate Change on Road Construction
Many areas are undergoing more extreme weather events than ever before. Flash floods, hurricanes, snowstorms and warmer summers all contribute to the wear and tear of roads and other infrastructure. Governments are investing more taxpayer dollars into road construction due to increased damage to roads. Some construction companies are making an effort to alter their practices by building infrastructure more suited to their regions projected climatic changes. However, not all areas will be negatively affected by climate change. Some areas that may have received previously warmer summers may begin to experience cooler summers, reducing the weathering effect on roads.
Effect of Road Construction on Climate Change
The relationship between road construction and climate change is not a one way street. While climate change may affect roads, roads themselves contribute to climate change. The emissions resulting from building the roads, and those from the cars on the roads, greatly contribute to climate change. While some may argue that increasing roads will decrease congestion, studies have shown that congestion is only minimized for a few years before it becomes congested again.
The Cycle of Climate Change and Road Construction
Dark paved surfaces also contribute to climate change by absorbing heat and contributing to the greenhouse effect, instead of reflecting it back into our atmosphere. If you've ever stepped on asphalt in the middle of summer and then jumped onto a grassy lawn for relief, you've experienced this concept. This heat absorption causes a positive feedback loop between climate change and roads; more roads cause increases in greenhouse gases, which contribute to climactic change. This causes more extreme weather events that can cause roads to break down faster, resulting in more road construction, which perpetuates the cycle.
Road Construction and the "Life-Cycle" Approach
Road building must begin to take climatic changes into consideration. Cities and urban planners are already turning to a "life-cycle" approach when planning roads. This means that they are weighing the long term effects, or life-cycle, of a road against its impacts on the climate. The emissions used to build the road itself, the environmental damage caused by water run-off, the emissions created by cars, the cost of implementing bike lanes and efficient public transit as alternatives and the increased spending on road repair as a result of extreme weather events are just a few factors that are now taken into consideration by environmental economists and consultants.