Ali Swalha

Professor Rigolino

ENG 160, Sec. 22

16 February 2024

Stock image of a book, glasses, and a cup of coffee.

Annotated Bibliography

Source:

Wilbanks, Thomas J., et al. “Toward Indicators of the Performance of US Infrastructures under Climate Change Risks.” Climatic Change, vol. 163, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1795–813, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02942-9.

Summary:

In the article titled “Toward Indicators of the Performance of US Infrastructures under Climate Change Risks,” Thomas J. Wilbanks and his team conduct research on how climate change and its adverse effects could be detrimental to current infrastructure systems in the US, including its transportation, communication, energy, and water systems. Wilbanks’ team goes into detail on how past climate-related disasters have significantly damaged infrastructure in their respective areas. For example, after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “cited damages to the NJ roadways, bridges, and transit worth $2.9 billion” (Wilbanks et al. 1801). Wilbanks also references how Melissa A. Kenney and her team have pointed out that many of America’s infrastructure systems are in poor condition as graded by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), scoring an average of D+ on an A to F scale. Kenney and her team have also noted that the ASCE has calculated the total costs to improve the infrastructure to at least a B grade or in satisfactory condition at “$4.6 trillion to 2025″ (Wilbanks et al. 1802-1803). Wilbanks and his team also point out that when these types of climate-related natural disasters occur, one infrastructure system failing can “cascade” and lead to a domino effect on multiple related systems of infrastructure failing as well (Wilbanks et al. 1804).

Reflection:

This article is credible because it is from a scientific journal written and peer-reviewed by scientists and academic professors who have extensive knowledge on the topic of how climate change can affect the quality of US infrastructure systems. As climate change has become a very significant issue in the 21st century, we can see the negative effect it has on the various systems of society that allow it to function well, especially on America’s infrastructure. The data on how hurricanes and other natural disasters have caused significant damage to many roads will be very useful to me in finding out why the roads in my county are in such poor condition, especially after Hurricane Sandy, which caused significant damage to my town’s roads and buildings. It also gives me insight into the costs of rebuilding the road infrastructure to an adequate and safe condition. In my honest opinion, the estimated trillions of dollars to improve infrastructure in the US, let alone in my hometown, will be a significant deterrent factor, but I believe it is well worth it as it will likely future-proof our roads for years to come.

Source:

Sofge, Erik. “United States Infrastructure Investigation – Rebuilding America …” Popular Mechanics, 8 Apr. 2008, www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a2775/4258053/.

Summary:

In the book titled ”U.S. Infrastructure,” a collection of articles and studies from multiple reporters and writers covering the state of US infrastructure, the authors of each article go into detail about the state of each infrastructure system in the US, what the problems are with each system, and stress how each problem must be addressed accordingly, along with suggesting various possible ideas on how the US can fix the flaws within the multiple infrastructure systems, including roads. For example, Erik Sofge lists multiple infrastructure repair goals, one notable one being repairing the bridges, because in 2010, “one-quarter of the 599,893 bridges in the United States [had] structural problems or outdated designs” (Sofge 50). Sofge also goes into detail on other ways to reinforce the roads to keep them as durable as possible for decades to come, such as using fiber-reinforced polymer and an experimental concrete developed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology that is expected to last for a century and can “withstand up to 30,000 psi of pressure” (Sofge 50).

Reflection:

Reading this book’s sections on the state of roads in the US really is a big eye-opener for me, as the information given by authors such as Jonathan Masters and Erik Sofge gives me a deeper understanding of how aged and architecturally flawed the US infrastructure has been since more than a decade ago, especially considering that there have been incidents in the past of bridges collapsing, causing injury and even death to the people who happened to be driving along those bridges. The data in the articles will be very useful for my argument because the data covering the quality of the roads and other related infrastructure will help me emphasize just how big of an issue this is for the future of the US. If we as a country want to get up to par with other developed Western nations, we need to improve in many economic and social aspects, and in my opinion, focusing on our aging infrastructure is a great way to begin that process.