The concept of global warming is not a recent development; humanity’s awareness of climate issues dates back further than we might imagine. Today, climate change has shifted from being a distant crisis to a tangible reality. In 2015, the United Nations Climate Conference was held in Paris, where 195 member states adopted the Paris Agreement. According to IPCC estimates, achieving the predictions and temperature control targets outlined in the Paris Agreement requires the world to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, making global cooperation imperative.

However, while commitments are ideal goals, challenges reflect the harsh reality. Below are some of my thoughts on the difficulties and obstacles we face.

I believe the greatest challenge we face is, first and foremost, the contradiction between infrastructure development and the speed of adaptation. Unlike other fields, infrastructure design cycles are often long, and can take years or even decades from planning to implementation. And as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events brought on by climate change are rapidly increasing, existing designs can become obsolete before they are even implemented. As a result, there is a risk that the pace of infrastructure innovation will not keep pace with climate change, which not only delays the implementation of adaptation measures, but retrofitting or reconstruction may also exacerbate economic and social losses.

At the same time, the complex, diverse, and heterogeneous nature of infrastructures in different countries and even regions means that the challenges are also complex and varied, and it may be difficult to find a uniform solution that can be adapted to different situations.

As a book states, “There is a huge gap between the challenges that we know and the practical responses offered on the global, national, and regional levels. levels.” (Gidley, J. M. 2017) At the same time, ‘short-termism thrives, in business, government, and education circles,’ and this can be a very real problem, even if we have consciously studied and researched future infrastructure. This may be a very real problem, but even if we have consciously studied and researched future infrastructures, can these theories actually be implemented in reality? Because short-term operations in the business sector often focus on immediate economic returns, while long-term infrastructure improvements or climate change mitigation efforts require significant investment of time and resources, with benefits that may not materialize for years or even decades. So, we are faced with not just how to respond to the challenge, but how to resolve this conflict.

2024.10.10

The Conflict Between Ideals and Reality / Yunyi Yang / Future Infrastructure, Climate Change and Sustainability: KIPP & Futures Project (2024-25) by is licensed under a