The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres refers to climate change as ‘A Code Red for Humanity’, warning about the irreversibility of the resulting damages. Having plans to cope with the impacts of climate change is necessary, but not sufficient. We also need to take actions to prevent and minimize the undesirable impacts of climate change. This is of particular importance when it comes to building and managing infrastructure in Northern regions.
For centuries, engineers have relied on a fundamental assumption: the climate was stable and stationary. Infrastructure was designed based on historical climatic patterns, with the expectation that past conditions could help humans reliably predict the future. This belief, aka ‘stationarity’, has guided the construction of roads, railways, pipelines, and other vital infrastructure by civil engineers in modern times. But as climate change accelerates, this assumption no longer holds true.
In Northern regions, where much of the infrastructure is built on permafrost, rising global temperatures are reshaping the landscape. Permafrost, once considered a stable foundation, is thawing, undermining the structural integrity of the assets built on it. Engineers face a new reality—one where shifting temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are creating unprecedented challenges.
Suggested citation: Pooneh Maghoul, Kaveh Madani. "Building Resilience into Northern Infrastructure through Climate Tech and Digitalization," United Nations University, UNU-INWEH, 2024-12-19, https://unu.edu/inweh/article/building-resilience-northern-infrastructure-through-climate-tech-and-digitalization.
