Abstract

Due to climate change, higher temperatures and rainfalls are expected to happen in some areas of Canada, which might increase the climate loads on buildings and lead to premature degradation of moisture-sensitive materials in wall assemblies. To investigate potential durability issues in three cities across Canada (Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary), code-compliant wood-frame walls with two types of claddings, stucco and brick, were simulated using Delphin 5.9. Two different climate data sets, historical and future when a global warming of 3.5ºC is expected to be reached were used. The hygrothermal performance in terms of mold growth risk was analysed with respect to cladding types, considering air leakage. All the three cities are similarly warmer in the future. However, wind-driven rain (WDR) is higher in Vancouver than in Ottawa and Calgary. With brick cladding the relative humidity is kept below the threshold for mould development only in Ottawa and Calgary. With stucco in future, while Ottawa shows greater mould indices than historical, Calgary shows opposite behavior. The results suggest that the risk of mould growth due to air leakage may decrease in the future.

Abstract

Disruption of infrastructure services can cause significant social and economic losses, particularly in the event of a natural disaster. The World Bank Group and the Government of Japan established the Quality Infrastructure Investment Partnership to focus attention on the quality dimensions of infrastructure in developing countries, with a focus on promoting disaster resilience. Moreover, to support infrastructure investment decision making for sustainable and resilient development, the World Bank and Kyoto University have operationalized key resilience concepts at the project level and developed quantitative indicators capturing key aspects of infrastructure resilience related to the road transport sector. These indicators estimate resilience, expressed as functionality loss and recovery time across four dimensions: travel time, economic benefit, provision of life-saving services, and provision of relief goods. The paper applies indicator calculations to three case studies of proposed bypass roads in Japan and provides an example comparison of calculated indicators across the three projects for each resilience dimension. Further piloting of the approach will help refine the indicators, test their relative utility in decision making, and offer a better understanding of the data and analytical demands. Document type: Book

Abstract

Beyond the Gap: How Countries Can Afford the Infrastructure They Need while Protecting the Planet aims to shift the debate regarding investment needs away from a simple focus on spending more and toward a focus on spending better on the right objectives, using relevant metrics. It does so by offering a careful and systematic approach to estimating the funding needs to close the service gaps in water and sanitation, transportation, electricity, irrigation, and flood protection. Exploring thousands of scenarios, this report finds that funding needs depend on the service goals and policy choices of low- and middle-income countries and could range anywhere from 2 percent to 8 percent of GDP per year by 2030. Beyond the Gap also identifies a policy mix that will enable countries to achieve key international goals—universal access to water, sanitation, and electricity; greater mobility; improved food security; better protection from floods; and eventual full decarbonization—while limiting spending on new infrastructure to 4.5 percent of GDP per year. Importantly, the exploration of thousands of scenarios shows that infrastructure investment paths compatible with full decarbonization in the second half of the century need not cost more than more-polluting alternatives. Investment needs remain at 2 percent to 8 percent of GDP even when only the decarbonized scenarios are examined. The actual amount depends on the quality and quantity of services targeted, the timing of investments, construction costs, and complementary policies. Finally, investing in infrastructure is not enough; maintaining it also matters. Improving services requires much more than capital expenditure. Ensuring a steady flow of resources for operations and maintenance is a necessary condition for success. Good maintenance also generates substantial savings by reducing the total life-cycle cost of transport and water and sanitation infrastructure by more than 50 percent. Document type: Book

Abstract

Efficient energy services are essential for economic growth, competitiveness, and human development. Globally, energy markets are undergoing a transformation: fossil fuel prices are responding to new and unpredictable dynamics, and new energy and information and communication technologies (ICT) are emerging and disrupting traditional market architectures. The 2030 development agenda for sustainable development adopted in September 2015 by the 193 countries of the United Nations General Assembly establishes sustainable energy as number seven of its 17 sustainable development goals (SDG7). It seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. While much of the finance will have to come from the private sector, public finance - both national budgets and concessional transfers - will have a crucial role to play in helping set economies on the right path. So in this increasingly complex and rapidly changing context, how are Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) energy markets progressing? How will emerging disruptions and game changers influence the evolution and transformation of energy markets in LAC? How ready are existing markets and institutions to actively move toward the next frontiers of efficiency? What is needed to break through to the modern, efficient, secure, and sustainable energy systems needed to support the regional economy in the coming years? What investment will be needed and how is LAC poised to attract private finance? This report explores these questions and offers insights into paths and indicative actions needed to approach the next efficiency frontier. The report focuses on electricity and gas markets. The analysis acknowledges the varying conditions and challenges of different countries in the region. Intraregional variation is addressed through analysis of country groupings and selection of appropriate comparators, benchmarks, and best practice frontiers.