Impacts on waste facilities
The main impacts of climate change in the next 50-100 years are expected to be:
■ warmer, wetter winters
■ hotter and more unsettled summers
■ increased flooding due to storms, tidal surge and a rise in sea levels.
In the shorter term there are expected to be more freak weather events such as flash floods, high winds and storms. Given the experiences of places such as Boscastle in 2004 and various parts of the Midlands and Yorkshire in 2007 it is possible that this trend has already started.
Images courtesy of Enviros Consulting |
'As buildings generally have an expected lifetime of between 20 and 100 years, thinking about climate change today, when planning new developments for tomorrow, will help to ensure a lasting legacy in the building stock. Buildings and their locations could all be adversely affected by climate change, including their structural integrity, external fabric, internal environment and service infrastructure (e.g. drainage).' Adapting to climate change: a |
The choice of sites will need to be influenced by the potential impacts of such events. Specification of building materials and the ability to withstand greater climatic fluctuations is also important. Mitigating secondary environmental consequences of climate change through design must be an important consideration.