US Transport at Risk from Climate Change

Flooded highways, railroads and airport runways are among the transportation snarls looming as the world’s climate changes, and officials should plan with this in mind, a U.S. study says.

“We’re not just concerned about gradual changes in temperatures,” said Henry Schwartz, who chaired the National Research Council panel that wrote the report. “We’re mostly concerned about the extremes, the surprises that may come forth.

“We believe … that the time to begin to address this issue as a routine part of design and operations is now.” Specifically, an expected rise in sea levels would hit roads, pipelines and airports in U.S. coastal areas where population is concentrated, Schwartz said.

Schwartz said some the busiest U.S. airports, including New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, are in low-laying coastal zones that are vulnerable to flooding from rising seas.