Greenhouse Gases
Policy Statement 488

Approved by the Energy, Environment and Water Policy Committee on December 8, 2008
Approved by the Transportation Policy Committee on December 8, 2008
Approved by the Committee on Sustainability on December 8, 2008
Review by the Policy Review Committee on December 12, 2008
Adopted by the Board of Direction on January 25, 2009

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports the following public and private sector strategies and efforts to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions:

• Establishing a comprehensive, long-term infrastructure development and maintenance plan at federal, state and local levels. This plan must support sustainable development through a substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and timely adaptation to the effects of climate change, while maintaining and/or enhancing environmental quality.
• Establishing clear and reasonable targets and time frames for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Improving the energy efficiency of, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from, infrastructure systems over their entire life cycles by making cost-effective use of existing technologies. These improvements should cover all sectors, and include both stationary and mobile sources.
• Encouraging the use of non-greenhouse gas emitting energy-generating sources such as nuclear, hydropower, wind and solar.
• Researching and implementing new technologies and materials to further improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Incorporating additional incentives for the short term development and implementation of high efficiency and low or zero greenhouse gas emitting technologies and cost-effective carbon capture and storage.
• Stimulating private investment in greenhouse gas reducing technologies by establishing a market value for greenhouse gas emissions over the long term.
• Authorizing the allocation, under existing federal infrastructure programs, of revenue from greenhouse gas emissions credits for infrastructure projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples of such projects include new public transportation systems; projects to reduce major chokepoints that cause transportation congestion; and improved intercity rail transportation.
• Including credit for early action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Encouraging actions by other countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
• Exploring the utilization of forests and the ocean as carbon sinks or other mitigation technologies.

Issue

By the end of this century, if current trends continue, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations could be twice what they were at the beginning of the industrial revolution. These increased concentrations are predicted to contribute to climate change, causing significant increases in global average temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns. The expected results will be increases in the severity of storms, floods and droughts, all of which will have substantial effects on our infrastructure, economy and quality of life.

Rationale

Civil engineers are central to the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and renewal of infrastructure systems that facilitate economic development and protect human health and welfare and the environment. Improvements in the durability and resiliency of our infrastructure systems will make them less vulnerable to effects of climate disruption. Improvements in the design and construction of our infrastructure systems can also increase their functionality and safety, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions during their construction and use.

ASCE Policy Statement 488
First Approved in 2001