Briefing: Future climate projections allow engineering planning

Abstract

It is well established that the climate is changing and much of the change is as a result of human greenhouse gas emissions. Effective strategies for adaptation or mitigation are less agreed on. From an engineering perspective, adaptation strategies require reliable expectations of the climate changes expected over the lifetime of current projects. Such projections are now possible with state-of-the-art observations and computer models that provide information over the next century and beyond. The best estimates suggest that global surface temperatures will increase by approximately 5°C (9°F) over pre-industrial temperatures or approximately 4°C (7°F) over current temperatures by the year 2100.