<
https://theconversation.com/intense-rain-landslides-and-potholes-everywhere-how-climate-change-is-trashing-australias-roads-264328>
"Australia has one of the world’s longest road networks, covering almost
900,000 kilometres. More than 80% of it is rural or remote.
It was hard and expensive enough to maintain this network before climate change
began causing havoc. But the job of roadworkers, engineers and transport
departments is getting much harder. As many drivers know, roads are suffering.
Potholes are everywhere.
Record flooding in 2023 destroyed a vital bridge at Fitzroy Crossing in Western
Australia, causing chaos. In 2024, bushfires closed the Eyre Highway linking
South Australia to WA, followed by floods not long after. With road links out
of action, communities have been cut off for months.
Climate change is a major cause of this accelerated deterioration. Extreme heat
and bushfires are projected to do more damage in Australia’s southern and
eastern regions. To date, water is doing the most damage through extreme
rainfall and floods. Floods are projected to hit harder and more often in the
continent’s northern and eastern regions.
The new National Climate Action Plan calls for upgrading Australia’s transport
networks so they can better withstand the changing climate. It won’t be
possible to climate-proof the whole network. Authorities will have to focus on
keeping vital lifelines open."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
