Climate change is rapidly leading to erratic weather events, hotter and colder temperatures, and an upending of the established weather patterns on Earth. The recent collapse of the Miami apartment complex and the Mumbai apartment building highlights how even these seemingly sturdy urban structures are at the mercy of climate change.

Collapsing Towers

Like most tangible objects, buildings exist in the physical world. Whether they are military bases, shopping complexes, hotels or apartment buildings, they interact with the elements around them. These elements include extreme temperatures caused by the global rise of temperatures, rising sea levels across the world and events like storms, droughts and floods.

On June 10, a residential building collapsed in Mumbai’s Malad district after heavy rains. A combination of factors -- the dilapidated state of the building and heavy rains that caused flooding in the city -- led to the collapse which killed 11 residents. It was not the first time that a building had collapsed in Mumbai, neither would it be the last.

With climate change predicted to make monsoon patterns unpredictable and dangerous, heavy rainfall events that can cause sudden heavy flooding and collapses are expected to become much more common.

Climate change is also leading to an increase in the frequency of cyclones forming in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. As cyclones and cyclonic storms become more frequent and intense, with wind speeds of 50-110 kmph, and subsequent flooding, buildings are bound to suffer the after effects.

Threat from Seas

Apart from erratic weather events, buildings near the waterfront also have to contend with rising sea levels. Cities like Miami, Mumbai, Venice, Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Kolkata, Dhaka, Osaka, and Guangzhou are at risk of severe flooding as sea levels are expected to rise by more than a foot in the coming decades.

While flood protective measures can help mitigate the impact, millions of people will be exposed to flooding as buildings would become compromised with rising sea levels. This was evident in the recent collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Miami, Florida.

Unseen Dangers

With events like the ‘heat dome’ over north-western North America and the current heatwave in North India, buildings should ideally be constructed keeping in mind temperatures rarely seen before. Buildings will not only need to have adequate cooling and heating systems, but should be able to handle extreme weather more frequently than ever before.

Overall Picture

The future looks grim and only an urgent intervention to stem the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and the polar regions can arrest the slide. Otherwise, billions of people will need to be evacuated or be forced to live in risky buildings. The damage to property will amount to trillions of dollars in losses.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)