There are two aspects of climate change that need to be considered by prospective developers of new waste facilities. First, how will the proposals impact upon the process of climate change through carbon emissions? Second, how will the development be affected in the future as a consequence of the effects of climate change? The global aspects of carbon emissions are touched on elsewhere and more widely in national guidance and other literature. We concentrate here on the consequences of climate change trends.
One predicted consequence of climate change is that extreme weather events such as prolonged periods of unseasonal temperatures and increased rainfall and flooding will become more common. These will impact on sites and buildings and their users in ways that were not accounted for in the initial designs. The potential effect of climate change is an increasingly important aspect to consider when developing new waste facilities. Designers will need to consider how facilities designed for today will be adaptable to future climatic conditions.
Key questions |
■ how does the proposed development minimise its potential contribution to climate change? ■ does the proposed development incorporate measures (for example, materials selection) that will minimise its potential carbon footprint? ■ is the building sited or designed to avoid climatic extremes, for example, exposure to high winds, flooding etc? ■ does the design of the building take account of potential changes in climate? |