In January, all Kleinfelder staff were invited to register for a free webinar event hosted by the University of Michigan Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, titled Adaptation to sea level rise: Dutch experiences and global challenges with Bas Jonkman.
Kleinfelder provided in-kind sponsorship of the event, and President and CEO Louis Armstrong served as a virtual panelist, alongside other industry professionals.
Following the webinar’s main presentation by Bas Jonkman, professor of Hydraulic Engineering at Delft University, the Netherlands and Chair of Integral Hydraulic Engineering, Louis and the other panelists helped answer questions related to the subject at hand – the effects of various sea-level rise scenarios and options for adaptation – as well as how students could get involved in the professions that will help solve these problems.
Louis noted that adaptation strategies should focus on four things: vulnerability assessments, environmental and social impact studies, design, and construction services, including materials testing (minute 41:15 of webinar). He also noted that Kleinfelder is performing this work for the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, as well as for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Sacramento and San Joaquin, CA (minute 42:23 of webinar).
The webinar and panelists also discussed the role of engineers in rebuilding environments to embrace climate change, hybrid solutions that benefit the environment and protect infrastructure, as well as financing mechanisms in place to pay for adaptations.
“When discussing adaptation to sea level rise and climate change, the solutions will be multidisciplinary,” Louis said. “They involve planners, biologists, wetland scientists, engineers, and construction professionals.”
Following the panel, the webinar answered questions from students (which is not included in the recording). In response to one question, Louis encouraged students to start talking to all the different people involved, including engineers, biologists, wetland scientists, and oceanographers, to get a broad understanding of the many aspects involved in making communities more resilient to climate change.
To watch the recorded webinar, head to University of Michigan Civil and Environmental Engineering’s YouTube channel or press play below! (Louis first begins speaking at the 40:56 mark of the webinar.)