August 17, 2017

On Aug. 15, President Trump signed an executive order on infrastructure, which includes provisions to roll back building standards that require consideration of climate change and sea-level rise for construction projects in areas that are vulnerable to flooding. The standard, put in place by a 2015 executive order from President Obama, was an important acknowledgement of the risks associated with building in floodplains — clearly demonstrated by multiple weather-related disasters during his administration.

The rollback is intended to streamline the construction approval process, with the stated goal of quickly improving our deteriorating infrastructure. But Franco Montalto, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, who heads the North American hub of the Urban Climate Change Research Network, suggests that this measure is dangerously short-sighted and could put many people in coastal areas at risk.

Read more at the Drexel News Blog