The Three Little Pigs and Climate Change

In a world of sustainability and energy conservation concerns - - the pigs and their houses of straw, sticks, and brick are busily getting LEED certified.  The pigs might want to be thinking about another issue - - especially those that are planning on building in coastal areas.  A forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that sea levels may rise 59 cm by 2100 appears conservative, because it does not factor NASA-funded research published this month that indicates ice around Greenland and Antarctica is melting at an accelerated rate. 

To combat these threats, architects and engineers are designing flood resistant homes, floating islands and even cities on the water.  The Dutch are leading the way (and they always do in areas like this).  In Massbommel, Dura Vermeer has built 50 floating homes that can rise 5.5 m in a flood while staying dry inside so utilities work normally.  Hollow concrete bases keep the timber homes afloat.  The company is working on several projects for clients at home and abroad to produce hundreds of its newest type of floating house, which is partly submerged with a concrete and expanded polystyrene base that insulates against cold and water temperatures.

Consider the other global flood protection schemes:

• The Thames Bridge in London is the main protection until 2070 when it will be upgraded or replaced.
• Revised building codes in NYC make new developments more watertight in flood-risk areas.  Flood control features include thick walls and shields that come down in front of doors to stop water from entering the building.
• The Coastal Councils Group in Sydney published a report in December 2010 proposing sand-mining at sea to replenish beaches that would otherwise be eroded at 10 cm per decade.
• Singapore's Marina Barrage, opened in 2008, will keep out seawater from low lying urban areas.
• St. Petersburg, Russia is completing a 25.4 km flood barrier that will protect the city from a one-in-l,000 year flood with a surge of 4.55 m.

After the tragic events in Japan, look for "Tsunami-Safer" houses.  Various designs allow water to pass through the building - - the structures have large windows and doors facing the direction from which water comes.  The doors and windows get blown away, leaving the main structure as it is.

The Prajnopaya Foundation charity is building 1,000 replacements for homes destroyed by the tsunami of 2004.  The pigs are correct to be working on LEED certification - - those in coastal and flood prone areas also need to be concerned with the Big-Bad-Wolf of climate change.