The Great Civil Engineering Overhaul by William A. Wallace

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wallace, William A., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civil engineering--Environmental aspects.

Civil engineering.

Civil engineering--Decision making.

Climatic changes.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 394 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Reston : ASCE Press, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, 2024.

Summary:

The Great Civil Engineering Overhaul details the effects that climate change has had and will continue to have on civil infrastructure and what alterations are required to enable civil engineers to work under changing climate conditions, resulting in what amounts to an "overhaul" in the civil engineering discipline.Topics includeImportance of civil infrastructure in economic development and national competitiveness;Sustainability, climate change, and infrastructure resilience: how they are all connected;Effects of a changing climate on civil infrastructure design and operation;Defining conditions of sustainability: the sustainability quadrant;The race to net zero carbon emissions and the role of civil engineers;Why climate-related civil engineering design standards are no longer reliable;How to talk to your clients about climate change and why you need to;Risks and liabilities for NOT considering climate change in infrastructure design;Methodologies for making civil infrastructure sustainable and climate resilient;Managing climate uncertainty in civil infrastructure design: the Robustness Matrix; andPreparing for an uncertain future: how civil engineers can make a difference.Author William Wallace has compiled this book as a resource for all civil engineers interested in sustainability, regardless of subdiscipline, providing a sound understanding, new ideas, and a path forward to designing and delivering projects that can operate reliably, safely, and effectively under changing climate conditions.William A. (Bill) Wallace, F.ASCE, has more than 40 years of professional experience, including 30 years in environmental engineering and management. He is the author of Becoming Part of the Solution: The Engineer’s Guide to Sustainable Development, published by the American Council of Engineering Companies. He has served as a liaison delegate to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, president and member of the governing board of Engineers Without Borders – USA, and chair of ASCE’s first International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure in 2014. He is the inventor and lead designer of the Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system, recipient of the Engineering News-Record’s 2013 Award of Excellence, and the ASCE President’s Medal in 2014. Currently, he teaches a course with the University of Florida titled, "Principles of Sustainable Engineering Design."

Contents:

Intro

The Great Civil Engineering Overhaul

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: What's Past Is No Longer Prologue

Global Warming and Its Consequences

Climate-Related Assumptions Are No Longer Reliable

Hurricane Sandy (October 2012). Cost: 65 billion, 159 deaths

Camp Fire, Northern California (November 2018). Cost: 16.5 billion, 85 deaths

Midwestern US Floods (January-March 2019). Cost: 10.8 billion, 3 deaths

Similar Problems, Other Places

The European Heat Wave of 2003

When Cape Town Almost Hit Day Zero

The Past Is No Longer Prologue

A Matter of Ethical and Moral Responsibility &amp

hellip

and Liability

New Levels of Uncertainty

Reduce Carbon Emissions to Net Zero By 2050

The Hazards and Risks of Business as Usual

Changes in Scale

Is Achieving Net-Zero Carbon by 2050 Possible?

Is There Hope?

What Needs to Be Done

Enhance Infrastructure Resilience

Decrease Exposure to Climate Stressor Hazards

Reduce the Source of Climate Stressor Extremes: GHG Emissions

How the Civil Engineering Industry Should Respond

The Purpose and Design of This Book

References

Additional References (Not Cited)

Chapter 2: Civil Infrastructure and the Assumption of Stationarity

What is Civil Infrastructure?

Why Is Civil Infrastructure Important?

Civil Infrastructure and National Competitiveness

The Work of Civil Engineers

Infrastructure Projects: Components, Requirements, Relationships, and Dependencies

Application of Codes and Standards

Climate Variables, Climate Stressors, and Climate-Derived Variables

Taking Climate Stressors into Account in Infrastructure Design

Climate Stressors in Infrastructure Design

Climate Stressor Variable Range of Values

Forms of Infrastructure Degradation

Knock-on Effects

Compounding

Propagating.

Reinforcing

How Knock-On Effects Have Been Handled

Types of Failure

Catastrophic Failure

Resilient Failure

Infrastructure Resiliency

Designing Infrastructure Assuming Conditions of Stationarity

Using Climate-Derived Variables

Stationarity Worked &amp

At Least Until Now

Chapter 3: Climate Change, Stationarity, and Sustainability: How Are They Connected?

The Foundational Assumption of Stationarity

Is Our Form of Economic Development Sustainable?

The Brundtland Commission Report

Are We Sustainable?

What Are the "Needs" of Present and Future Generations?

How Does Society Meet Those Needs?

Sustainability: A Simple Example

Financial and Natural Capital: What's the Connection?

Natural Capital Resources and Flows

Abiotic Resources and Flows

Structure, Condition, and Circulation

Biotic Systems: Resources and Ecosystem Service Flows

Resources and Ecosystem Service Flows: Example

Question: How Did We Get to this Point in Human Development?

Answer: Human Ingenuity! We Created New Forms of Capital

Putting It All Together

Is Society's Approach to Development Sustainable?

Human Well-Being: What Has Been Achieved?

What Is the State of the Earth's Resources and Ecosystems?

Ecological Footprint: Ecosystem Demand versus Availability

The Sustainability Quadrant: Where Nations Need to Be

Moving Toward the Sustainability Quadrant

Developed Nations: High and Very High Income

Developing Nations: Lower and Upper Middle Income

Underdeveloped Nations: Low Income

Global Efforts to Reduce Poverty

Chapter 4: The Consequences of Unsustainable Development

Human Development Progress and Its Consequences

What About Natural Capital?

The IPAT Equation

Climbing the Heat Ladder.

Fossil Fuel Use and Its Consequences

A "New Normal" of Disasters

The Impacts of Business-As-Usual

A New Sense of Urgency

Opportunities in a Low-Carbon Economy

Impacts on Civil Infrastructure Design

Changes in Probability Distributions of Climate Stressor Variables

Additional Hazards and Risks Outside of Historical Operating Experience

Effects on Infrastructure Assets

Infrastructure Design Challenges in a Changing Climate

Chapter 5: Responding to a Changing Climate

The Work Ahead

The Scale of the Response Required

Barriers to an Effective Response

Responding to a Changing Climate: The Details

Climate Change Mitigation

Climate Change Adaptation

Conclusion

Chapter 6: Civil Infrastructure and Deep Uncertainty

A Framework for Infrastructure Planning and Design Decision Making

Levels of Uncertainty

Engineers Have Always Managed Deep Uncertainties

Global Climate Change and Deep Uncertainty

Approaches to Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty

Robust Decision Making

Dynamic Adaptive Planning

Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways

Information-Gap Decision Theory (IG or Info-Gap)

Engineering Options Analysis

Chapter 7: A Proposed Dynamic Adaptive Planning Methodology

Introduction

Modified Dynamic Adaptive Planning: A Summary

Modified Dynamic Adaptive Planning: The Details

Step I: Set the Stage

Step II: Assemble the Initial Plan

Step III: Improve the Robustness of the Project Alternatives

Step IV: Evaluate and Select the Best Alternative

Step V: Develop the Monitoring System

Step VI: Prepare the Responses

Step VII: Deliver the Project

Step VIII: Operate the Project

References.

Additional References (Not Cited)

Chapter 8: A Proposed Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways Methodology

Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways Terminology, Types, and Characteristics

Modified Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways: A Summary

Setting the Scope, Objectives, and Limitations

Types of Pathways

Pathway Elements

Pathway Objectives: Getting on Track and Staying on Track

Pathway Characteristics

Determining and Evaluating Routes for Achieving Objectives

Evaluation and Selection of Promising Routes

Modified Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways: The Details

Step 1. Describe the Problem

Step 2. Analyze the Problem

Step 3. Determine Possible Adaptation Pathways

Step 4a. Evaluate Pathways

Step 4b. Reassess

Step 5. Assemble Pathways into Routes

Step 6. Select the Most Promising Routes

Step 7. Improve Plan Robustness, Resilience

Step 8. Select a Dynamic Adaptive Plan

Step 9. Implement the Plan

Step 10. Monitor and Respond

Chapter 9: Preparing for an Uncertain Future

Climate Disasters Continue

The Tragedy of the Horizon

Shifting from Intent to Action

COP 21 and the Paris Agreement

Progress through Global Climate Action

Tracking and Validating Credible Climate Action Progress

Climate Action Pathways

Rallying Support: Climate Ambition Alliance-Race to Zero

What the United States Is Doing

ASCE 73-23: Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure

How Civil Engineers Can Make a Difference

Can Engineers Respond Effectively?

An Extended Role for Engineers?

Closing Comments

APPENDIX A: Climate Stressor Effects by Infrastructure Category

APPENDIX B Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System

Quality of Life

Leadership.

Resource Allocation

Natural World

Climate and Resilience

APPENDIX C Robustness Matrix

Index

About-the-author.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical records and index.

Print version record.

ISBN:

9780784485446