Introduction to adapting the built environment for climate change

Abstract

This chapter starts with a brief review of extremely worrying signs of a climate emergency ahead. They show that in the best-case scenario for the next hundreds of years, humanity will have to live in a world with 2°C warmer (than it was in the late 1800s). The more plausible scenario, however, encompasses a much harsher world 3°C warmer, with extreme weather events, such as heat waves, flash flooding, and hurricanes. The adaptation of the built environment to the new climatic reality is therefore an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. An outline of the book is also included.