Climate change is an inconvenient yet inescapable truth everyone must face. Some effects of global warming are irreversible for hundreds or thousands of years, so whatever the future holds will be the norm for a long time.
Engineers, architects and builders can design and construct affordable new buildings that can resist tornadoes, floods and wildfires without making the buildings into bunkers. We could also design earthquake-resilient buildings, but do not.
The year 2023 was marked by extraordinary heat, wildfires and weather disasters. In the U.S., an unprecedented heat wave gripped much of Texas and the Southwest with highs well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) for the entire month of July. Why is this happening?
While the pace of fossil fuel reduction dominates post-event media coverage, a less visible series of multilateral agreements emerged from the COP28 negotiations that could have more immediate long-term impacts on the cement and concrete sectors.