Sustainable, climate-friendly infrastructure saves resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions because it accomplishes many things at once. Because planning and design cross all infrastructure sectors and integrate many factors, projects that start out as one thing wind up being a whole lot more. For example:
- A system for dealing with solid waste winds up generating electricity.
- A new stormwater system not only solves a longstanding flooding problem, but also creates a parkway through a neighborhood.
- A new road design leads to a discussion of what else could be accomplished while the old street is torn up, which in turn leads to a plan for a district energy system to supply businesses along the street with heating and cooling from a single efficient plant.
The technical issues and solutions needed are often specific to each infrastructure sector. This section provides more in-depth information regarding climate impacts, actions, technology and issues for each infrastructure sector:
