Watch video of Mark Abkowitz, Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt, discuss adaptation strategies with a specific focus on infrastructure systems as a means to prepare for future climate change such as extreme weather events. In his presentation, he suggests using a holistic risk management approach to identify potential risks and those strategies that may prove most cost effective to reduce risks. He concludes saying that the time to act is now and refers to the old Fram Oil Filter commercials that state “Pay me now or pay me later.”
The report, commissioned by the Sustainable Tennessee Organization and titled Sustaining Tennessee in the Face of Climate Change: Grand Challenges and Great Opportunities, was presented at Vanderbilt Sept. 11. The event was hosted by the Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment.