Globally, the construction industry is one of the main contributors to the depletion of natural resources and a major cause of unwanted side effects such as air and water pollution, solid waste, deforestation, health hazards, global warming, and other negative consequences (Harvey and Wayne, 2008⁴).

As we face significant planetary issues such as global warming, it is clear that the engineering profession has a significant part to play in affecting the future of our planet.

In order to stay competitive and to meet upcoming stricter environmental regulations and customer requirements, designers have a key role in designing civil infrastructure so that it is environmentally sustainable. These and other factors have compelled the engineer to design with greater care and in more detail.

The changing roles of engineers will be highlighted, in order to react to changes in climate. Mainstreaming environmental aspects and incorporating the eco-efficiency concept into various stages of infrastructure development have not been considered as much as they should have been.

Engineers need to look at greener technologies rather than just using traditional engineering solutions. This paper looks at the effects of climate change on infrastructure and the changing role of engineers. It aims to demonstrate the use of sustainability criteria on infrastructure projects.

Download technical paper here.