EU-US Symposium Report “Transportation Resilience: Adaptation to Climate Change”

This publication summarizes a symposium held on June 16–17, 2016 in Brussels, sponsored by the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation and organized by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The two-day, invitation-only symposium brought together high-level experts to share their views on disruptions to the transportation system resulting from climate change and extreme weather events. With the goal of fostering trans-Atlantic collaboration in research and deployment, symposium participants discussed the technical, financial, and policy challenges to better plan, design, and operate the transportation network before, during, and after extreme and/or long-term climate events.

The preparation of the symposium included one white paper, and three future case scenarios to facilitate discussion. The white paper is provided in Appendix A, and the case scenarios are presented in Appendixes B, C, and D. The future case scenarios included rising sea level, river and storm flooding, and drought and extreme temperatures. The breakout groups addressed managing risk, minimizing disruptions during extreme events, and facilitating recovery. The breakout group discussions focused on identifying challenges, managing challenges, and research topics appropriate for EU–U.S. collaboration.

As a result of the symposium, the rapporteur developed a potential portfolio for EU–U.S. research on transportation resilience and adaptation to climate change and extreme weather events, including the following subject areas: climate science data for transport uses; adapting materials and designs; climate change and transport planning; risk assessments, stress tests, and benefit–cost analyses (BCAs); technologies, innovations, and impacts; and communication and outreach strategies and methods for diverse stakeholders. These research topics may be considered by the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), the cooperative research programs managed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), and other groups.