Full Title: Nature as Resilient Infrastructure: An Overview of Nature-Based Solutions
Author(s): Heather Luedke
Publisher(s): Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)
Publication Date: October 16, 2019
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Our nation’s “gray,” or hard, manmade infrastructure is in need of repair and upgrading due to age, deferred maintenance, and the toll of more intense and frequent extreme weather events resulting from climate change. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)—which has graded the condition of the country’s public infrastructure as a D+ for nearly a decade—estimates direct, cumulative gray infrastructure repair needs at $4.6 trillion through 2025, with an estimated funding gap of $2.1 trillion. Infrastructure has long been an area of bipartisan agreement, and the 116th Congress and White House continue to allude to a possible infrastructure bill or package. As discussions take shape on the future of the country’s infrastructure, it is important to ensure projects are cost-effective, sustainable, and resilient to the impacts of climate change.