Energy infrastructure and climate change: Protecting erodible slopes in fire-prone areas

Abstract

Energy infrastructure is critical to the functioning of modern societies, and its protection against natural disasters and environmental threats is a top priority. Fire affects an estimated four million square kilometers (1.5 million square miles) of Earth’s land each year and is responsible for releasing aerosols and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The chances of erosion increase significantly when vegetation has been burned off, leading to mass movements of soil and water. Steep, hilly areas are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon. Post-incendiary erosion increases sediment and ash in waterways, and can put people, property, and water supplies at risk. Geocellular confinement minimizes movement and migration of the embankment materials, resists sheet flow, and prevents severe erosion while controlling rill and gully formation, especially in erosive post-incendiary soils. This paper discusses: 1) the growing need to protect erodible slopes near and around energy infrastructure in fire-prone areas; 2) a recent project example where aggregate-filled geocells were used for this purpose; and 3) how this solution set can be applied as a best practice for energy infrastructure protection and pre- or post-incendiary erosion control.