Released in May 2025, the World Bank and GFDRR report, "Heatwaves and Their Effects on Transportation Systems: A Comprehensive Review," examines how extreme heat impacts various transportation modes, from roads to air travel.
Key Insights from the Report:
The Escalating Threat of Heat: Extreme heat is identified as a rapidly emerging threat to global transportation, with the potential to exceed flood losses in many mid-latitude rail and road systems under high-emissions scenarios.
Financial Costs of Heat Damage: The report highlights the increasing financial burden, with annual adaptation costs for paved roads in the US potentially rising to almost $10 billion without intervention. German rail maintenance expenses due to heat are already at €0.5 billion annually.
Disruptions to Air Travel: High temperatures force airlines to implement weight restrictions, which can decrease payload capacities by up to 6.5%. The number of flights grounded annually in Arizona could increase from 50 in 2017 to between 500 and 2,200 by 2050.
Impact on Rail and Road Infrastructure: Extreme heat causes physical damage to infrastructure. Rail buckling events in Spain are projected to escalate to between 20 and 500 annually by the 2050s, while the lifespan of paved roads could be reduced by up to 75% by 2100.
The Value of Proactive Adaptation: The report emphasizes that proactive climate adaptation strategies are significantly more cost-effective than reactive approaches, with some countries facing a 40-fold difference in costs between the two methods by 2100. Effective solutions include using reflective pavements to lower surface temperatures by 7°C–12°C.
