Preparing UK Infrastructure for Climate Change

Tools and advice to future-proof investment in large scale projects

As befits one of the UK’s largest civil engineering research programmes, the new Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium is thinking big. Pooling the expertise of seven universities, the consortium aims to develop and demonstrate a new generation of simulation models and practical decision-support tools.

These will help government departments and agencies and infrastructure owners and operators to test and assess the impact of potential investment strategies.

Carbon reduction performance, management of climate risks and vulnerabilities, cost implications and effectiveness in balancing capacity with demand are some of the key areas where Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium outputs will generate much-needed guidance.

“We want to catalyse a revolution in the way infrastructure is analysed, planned and designed, in the context of climate change”, says Professor Jim Hall, Director of this £4.7M LWEC-accredited initiative. “Investing in infrastructure is always a major decision. The need for energy, transport, water, waste, IT and communications systems to cut carbon emissions and build-in climate resilience will only add to the importance of getting it right.”

Core funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council will be supplemented by in-kind support from both government and industry. The net result will be a robust body of evidence that supports provision of sustainable, integrated infrastructure across the UK.

“Some key national infrastructure is either coming to the end of its life or reaching its capacity limit,” says Professor Hall. “With climate change raising the stakes, our work will help meet the challenge of investing for an uncertain future while ensuring demographic, social and lifestyle changes are fully factored in.”