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CRISPS Webinar – Policy Dialogue: Supporting the Development of Climate Resilient Road Infrastructure – an Agenda for Change
February 28 @ 9:00 am – 10:30 am CET

In the wake of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27), attention has once again focused on how best to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is widely accepted that Climate Change poses a critical threat to future development, particularly in areas where poverty is widespread, and infrastructure is either underdeveloped or vulnerable to extreme weather events. The body of scientific evidence indicates that climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of a range of extreme weather events, for example:
- Sea level rise is predicted to result in storm surges in coastal areas;
- Heat waves cause the forecast to be more severe;
- Precipitation is estimated to increase in intensity.
The increased frequency and intensity of these extreme weather events can have a devastating impact on both human life and physical infrastructure. The impact on road transportation systems can be particularly stark, leading to delay, disruption, damage and potentially failure.
About the Webinar
This CRISPS Policy Dialogue was held online on 28 February 2023 and was designed to encourage the development of evidence-informed policies to support the Development of Climate Resilient Road Infrastructure and identify an Agenda for Change. The dialogue provided an opportunity to:
- Learn more about the CRISPS project and its efforts to support the development of climate-resilient road pavement surfacings;
- Understand possibilities and constraints for developing policies to support climate-resilient road pavement surfacings in Low- and Middle-income countries;
- Reflect on what an agenda for change for developing climate-resilient road pavement surfacings would look like.
Did you miss it? Watch now the recording
Speakers

Gurmel Ghataora
University of Birmingham
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering
About the CRISPS Project
CRISPS is a multi-disciplinary 2-year research project under the leadership of the University of Birmingham (UoB) and in collaboration with the University of Auckland (UoA), the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the International Road Federation (IRF). The aim of this project is to achieve an affordable high-volume road resilient approach to climate change and traffic demands, by assessing the suitability of three global best-practice types of road surfacing technologies for use in LICs: namely Modified Epoxy Chip Seals (MECS), Modified Epoxy Asphalt Surfaces (MEAS) and Fibre Mastic Asphalt (FMA) respectively. The technologies are a result of many years of research in New Zealand (MECS and MEAS) and Malaysia (FMA) where their in-situ performance has been demonstrated through trials and they are as a result routinely used in service.