Category: Engineering

Why Weather Forecasting Will Become More Important for Society With the Advent of Climate Change

Why Weather Forecasting Will Become More Important for Society With the Advent of Climate Change

Why Weather Forecasting Will Become More Important for Society With the Advent of Climate Change

02/28/20

“Why will weather prediction become critical for future climate resilience?”

 

Climate change is going to make extreme weather events much more common. And since disasters can occur with a short-term notification, the ability to forecast and respond quickly can make a humungous difference. For example, people learning about an upcoming heavy rainfall can plan ahead and give themselves the proper protection, or if emergency responders can monitor how dry and windy weather conditions will be then they can prepare for a potential wildfire. These are just two of the many reasons Why Weather Forecasting Will Become More Important for Society With the Advent of Climate Change.

Wildfire Resilience Retrofit

Wildfire Resilience Retrofit

Wildfire Resilience Retrofit

02/27/20

“How can we make older houses more resilient to wildfires?”

 

Housing built to newer standards tends to be more resilient against wildfires than older models. However, these older homes can upgrade their capacity through a retrofit, which could range from replacing building material to upgrading air filtration systems. This is why Wildfire Resilience Retrofits are so important.

Image credit http://www.buildinggreen.com

Why Is Bronze Harder Than Stone?

Why Is Bronze Harder Than Stone?

Why Is Bronze Harder Than Stone?

02/24/20

“Why is bronze stronger than stone?”

 

The transition from stone to bronze marked humanity’s transition from the caves to civilization. This was brought by the ability to use this stronger material allowed for the creation of more complex machinery and structure. But what makes bronze stronger than stone? Well, it all comes down to the fact that it has a more compact molecular structure, giving it more strength! This is Why Bronze Is Harder Than Stone.

How Urban Sprawl Can Lead to Flooding Vulnerabilities

How Urban Sprawl Can Lead to Flooding Vulnerabilities

How Urban Sprawl Can Lead to Flooding Vulnerabilities

02/23/20

“How can urban sprawl lead to flooding vulnerabilities?”

 

Urban sprawl is infamous for causing an untold amount of problems in cities. When cement is poured over floodplains, the local area loses its water absorption capacity and becomes more prone to runoffs and flash floods. An example of this was the massive damage inflicted upon the city of Houston in late 2017 from Hurricane Maria, much of it exacerbated from its urban sprawl. This is How Urban Sprawl Can Lead to Flooding Vulnerabilities.

Sea-Level Rise and Urban Planning

Sea-Level Rise and Urban Planning

Sea-Level Rise and Urban Planning

02/22/20

“Why does sea-level rise need to be included in urban planning?”

 

Sea-level rise from climate change is becoming an increasing concern for urban planners and officials. Because of this, all new urban designs must factor in how their plans will adapt to sea-level rise, whether it be using seawalls or sponge cities. This is how Sea-Level Rise and Urban Planning are connected.

Image credit http://www.wlrn.org

Fire-Resilient Communities

Fire-Resilient Communities

Fire-Resilient Communities

02/20/20

“How can we build communities resilient to wildfires?”

 

Climate change is causing wildfires to become more frequent and deadly. However, communities in the Wildland-Urban Interface and build and grow to adapt to this, whether it be creating defensible spaces, using strict fire-hardening building codes, and having well-defined evacuation routes. All of these can combine to create Fire-Resilient Communities.

Image credit http://www.fs.usda.gov

Sponge Cities

Sponge Cities

Sponge Cities

02/19/20

“How can cities be designed to absorb water from floods instead of block it?”

 

With rising sea levels and rain penetration due to climate change, cities are looking for ways to adapt. Although the most popular methods typically involve building massive pieces of infrastructure such as sea walls, more natural ways to solve this are available. One innovative way is to remodel urban areas as Sponge Cities. Sponge cities are cities with large volumes of greenery that can absorb any torrent of water. These green spaces can range from gardens to green roofs to simple porous designs. Sponge cities not only make municipalities more resilient to climate change but also prevent discharge of polluted water, increases biodiversity, and improve quality of life.

 

Image credit http://www.sciencefriday.com

Multi-Hazard Resilience Planning

Multi-Hazard Resilience Planning

Multi-Hazard Resilience Planning

02/18/20

“How can resilience planners prepare for multiple effects?”

 

Climate change is exacerbating more than just a single disaster per zone. In many locations, multiple hazards are occurring at the same time. For example, in the San Francisco Bay Area not only are wildfires becoming more frequent and powerful but coastal flooding is also growing day by day. Because of this, resilience professions will have to prepare for all of these using Multi-Hazard Resilience Planning, in which every single piece that can go wrong will be taken into account. 

Why Urban Sprawl is a Climate Resilience Issue

Why Urban Sprawl is a Climate Resilience Issue

Why Urban Sprawl is a Climate Resilience Issue

02/17/20

“Why is urban sprawl a climate resilience issue?”

 

Urban Sprawl has been known for a long time to be a climate mitigation issue. However, having a sprawling urban form also makes it more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Being reliant on automobile transportation makes evacuation much more difficult and deadly in the case of a climate emergency such as a wildfire or a hurricane. Sprawling development encourages living spaces to be built on environmentally unsafe spaced such as flood zones and the wildland-urban interface. This shows Why Urban Sprawl is a Climate Resilience Issue.