ASCE – Bridging the Gap between Climate Change and Engineering Practice

ASCE, in cooperation with the Engineering Founder Societies’ Technologies for Carbon Management Project, proposes to develop a webinar to inform engineers of all disciplines:
• That evidence from observational and analytical climate/weather science that indicate that changes of climate will affect demands for and the performance of engineered systems.
• Of authoritative sources for guidance and recommendations for adaptation of engineered systems to a changing climate.

The webinar will alert the engineering community to the need to adapt engineering practices to a changing climate, provide access to sources of information for adaptation, and stimulate the engineering community to work with the climate/weather science community in needed research.
Engineered facilities include buildings of all types, communications, energy generation and distribution, industrial facilities, transportation of all modes, waste management, water resources, and associated natural features. Engineers are responsible for the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and renewal or removal of these facilities. Functional demands for, performance of, and safety of these facilities depend on the environments expected during their service lives.
• Observational and analytical studies of climate/weather science indicate that changes in climate will affect demands for and the performance of engineered systems.
• Evidence shows that probabilities of extreme environments (such as heat and cold waves; wind, snow and ice storms; floods, storm surge, droughts and wildfires) used in engineering practices no longer can be based solely on records of past events.
• Engineers need authoritative sources for relevant climate/weather data.
• Engineers need authoritative sources for guidance and recommendations for adaptation of engineered systems to a changing climate.
• The engineering community needs to work with the climate/weather science community to achieve climate/weather information relevant to engineering practice.