A听major climate change听report听 Friday by over a dozen U.S. federal agencies听outlines听the potential for significant economic and environmental damages in the coming years. The report included a chapter on the potential for impacts on roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Paul Chinowsky, a co-author of that chapter,听is the director of CU Boulder's听Program in Environmental Design and a professor in the听. His research focuses on costs, adaptations and听infrastructure impacts related to climate change.
As part of the release of the report, Dr. Chinowsky was in the New York Times this weekend:
Nevertheless, despite the satisfaction at seeing their scientific work made public, many of the authors expressed disappointment that Mr. Trump鈥檚 strategy appears to be to ignore the findings and move forward with plans to undo climate change policies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly frustrating,鈥� said Paul Chinowsky, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a co-author of the report鈥檚听That chapter concludes that more extreme storms, flooding and heat waves, along with rising sea levels, will damage the nation鈥檚 roadways, leading to dangerous infrastructure collapses and up to $21 billion in damage by the century鈥檚 end.
鈥淚鈥檓 watching these arguments between politicians and scientists, but I鈥檓 on the ground with public works officials who say that argument鈥檚 irrelevant,鈥� Mr. Chinowsky said. 鈥淧eople are going to get hurt and die if we don鈥檛 change the policy.鈥�