As extreme weather events become more frequent, technology can play a key role in protecting the UK’s vital infrastructure, says Marko Ravnjak, applications engineer, monitoring, track survey and scanning at Trimble
This year the UK experienced its hottest summer on record. Unfortunately, it will probably not be the hottest summer of this century. Since climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, policymakers and climate scientists expect more frequent and intense heatwaves in the years ahead.
Some models have estimated that the UK can expect one heatwave yearly by 2100. Extreme weather events aren’t limited to heatwaves, with flooding being an obvious example – some models currently suggest that southern England could face a 36% rise in the intensity of summer downpours.
Reports have described the UK’s critical national infrastructure (CNI) as being deeply vulnerable to the effects of climate change. With this year’s heatwave bringing about railway shutdowns, a near-blackout in London and road closures, resilience in the face of extreme weather has shot up the agenda for policymakers and infrastructure owners.
Thankfully, this all means that awareness, political will and funding are there to harden the country’s vital infrastructure. The challenge facing stakeholders lies in addressing the most pressing infrastructure vulnerabilities first, getting the highest resilience return on resources and ensuring new infrastructure is fit for the future. Thankfully, technological solutions are helping the industry with just that.