| CLIMB - Climate's
Long-term Impacts on Metro Boston -- is a major, three-year project
to study the potential impacts of climate change on infrastructure
systems in metro Boston and to recommend strategies to prevent,
reduce, or manage the risk. It is expected to be a ground-breaking
study of national importance. The study will look at how potentially rising sea levels, higher summer peak temperatures, and more frequent and intense storms may affect our water supply and water quality, wastewater collection and treatment, drainage and flood management systems, transportation and communication, public health, recreation and tourism, our built environment, and our energy systems and demand. The project will also consider how these potential impacts relate to each other and what effects they might have on the economy, public budgets, and society as a whole. The scientific investigation will be done by a prestigious team at the two universities, led by the Tufts Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the BU Department of Geography. MAPC, the regional planning agency for the 101 communities of metro Boston, will help engage stakeholders and solicit input from infrastructure planners and decision-makers as well as from others with a more general interest in climate change. As the research develops, there will be workshops and other opportunities to ask questions and help shape the project's future course and recommendations. |
| Metro Boston's
quality of life and long-term economic success depend heavily
on the reliability of the region's infrastructure. Transportation
and communication networks, for example, provide mobility of
people, goods, and information; power plants and energy distribution
systems provide energy essential for our homes, businesses, and
industries; and water supply, drainage, flood management, and
waste water treatment systems provide water to consumers, protect
homes and businesses from flooding, and ensure treatment of effluents
to minimize adverse environmental and health effects. The higher the level of economic activity, the more important are the quality and reliability of our infrastructure systems. Nowhere are these links more critical than in urban areas. Disruption in infrastructure can have far-reaching implications for the welfare of people and high economic cost. Flooding in the fall of 1996 and power outages during the summer of 1999 cost metro Boston millions of dollars and disrupted the lives of many residents. According to the Boston Globe , the "devastating" storm of October 1996 "flooded powerful institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts and Northeastern University, wreaked havoc on the Green Line's Kenmore Square station, and caused $70 million in property damage." |
| Recent research
on global warming in metro Boston shows that sea level will rise,
peak summer temperatures will be higher, and the frequency and
intensity of severe winter and summer storms will increase. Since
infrastructure is designed according to socioeconomic and environmental
conditions that are very sensitive to climate, these changes
in climate and weather may affect the ability of existing infrastructure
to provide services and may require costly adjustments. Most infrastructure has a lifetime of many decades -- parts of the Boston subway and sewer system are more than a hundred years old. Upgrading or substituting infrastructure can also take many years, as the "Big Dig" illustrates. Being able to anticipate today what the climate-induced impacts on existing and future infrastructure may be is therefore vital for planning and investment decisions. Getting policy-makers to focus on such long-range planning is perhaps the biggest challenge of all. |
| Just as infrastructure
changes require long lead times, so climate change takes place
over a long time horizon. Thus climate-induced impacts on infrastructure
need to be assessed over the long run and planned for long in
advance. This study will provide the basis for such planning. It will identify and quantify likely climate and socioeconomic scenarios, their impacts on infrastructure in metro Boston, and the relationship of these impacts to each other (e.g., disruption of transportation systems resulting from impaired flood control). It will then develop strategies to prevent, mitigate, or otherwise manage potential risks. The project will be carried out over the course of three years by a team of more than 20 scientists and experts. Planners, public and private decision makers, and other stakeholders will be involved at various stages to ensure that the research and computer model reflects the realities they deal with and to ensure that the results provide meaningful guidance for their decision making. Constructive contributions to the project are very welcome. For more information, visit the project web page (http://www.tufts.edu/tie/iss) or contact Professor Paul Kirshen at Tufts (email pkirshen@tufts.edu or phone 617-627-5589), Professor Matthias Ruth at Boston University (email mruth@bu.edu or phone 617-353-5741), or Judith Alland at MAPC (email jalland@mapc.org or phone 617-451-2770). |