Mohamed Benyahia poses in front of the cracked walls of his house in La Trugalle, France, in May 2023. Extreme heat and drought contracted the soil beneath the home, causing structural damage.
Photographer: Jean Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images
Climate Change Is Killing Buildings in Slow Motion
It’s not just storms and floods: Wild temperature swings, severe heat and drought are exacting an invisible toll on the built environment.
Soon after it opened in 2001 as part of a massive waterfront development on the River Clyde, Glasgow’s Science Centre became a top attraction. Queen Elizabeth opened the sleek crescent-shaped complex, which featured a titanium-clad IMAX theater and exhibits that promised to unlock the mysteries of science and the promise of emerging technologies.
But the future — in the form of a shifting climate — quickly caught up. On the Scottish city’s hottest-ever June day in 2018, the building’s stainless-steel roof started to seep black goo, as sealant intended for cooler weather liquified in temperatures that hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).