Member Article

Global warming at the heart of ICE North East agenda

The new North East Chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has vowed to promote the role of engineering in tackling climate change.

ICE North East has appointed engineering expert Robert Thorniley-Walker as regional chairman who will place global warming at the heart of his agenda.

He said: “Hazards from climate change and extreme weather eventsneed to be faced. As mean temperatures in England reach levels never previously recorded, I would like to encourage those who design our roads, drainage systems, sea walls, flood defences and buildings to accept that things are going to be different, once the weather really starts to change.

“It is vital that as engineers, we design and construct infrastructure that will be resilient and fit for purpose over coming decades and allow for changes that we know are already built into our planet due to changes in the atmosphere. Most of us have already seen weather events that our parents and grandparents would never have seen.”

Robert has been a Fellow of ICE and also a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers since 2002 and will become the first regional chair from Teesside in eight years.

After graduating from Oxford in 1980, Robert began his career with Costains where he worked on major civil engineering projects, which included the Thames Barrier and large scale geotechnical and earthworks in South Wales.

Once Robert achieved his charted status he gained a wealth of experience working on bridge design projects for the UK and Middle East with RPT as well as Travers Morgan where he was Technical Director at its Newcastle branch.

In 1994, Robert set up Structural and Civil Consultants Ltd, a North East based company offering a wide range of engineering services, which has gone on to establish itself as a major force in the industry - leading the way with ground-breaking developments in the use of low-carbon timbers.

He is a key voice in the climate change debate and is urging others to face the hazards it poses. He believes that engineers are in for an interesting time trying to tackle the problem head-on before the weather takes a significant turn for the worse.

Robert said: “Everyone in the country is aware of last winter’s flooding in Somerset, due to exceptional rain where around 40 homes were flooded. But few heard about the surge tide, which flooded 2,600 properties along the east coast, resulting in chaos in Teesside and led the government committee COBRA to send in Chinooks to plug the flooding south of Hartlepool.

“I’m extremely proud to have been given this opportunity to represent ICE North East. I look forward to raising awareness of the Institution’s work and putting climate change on the agenda.”

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