'We already know how to make a more resilient world' – Deb Chachra

Infrastructure is the answer, according to the author and engineer

Photo by Leise Jones.

You might rarely think about it but, without infrastructure, your life would be very different. Infrastructure gets you to work each morning, keeps your lights on, and processes your garbage. So you don’t have to. Many argue that infrastructure is also the key to a cleaner future.

In 2023, Deb Chachra of Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts published a book entitled How Infrastructure Works: Transforming our shared systems for a changing world. I spoke to her about her ideas for a fairer, more equitable future in which infrastructure both stands up to climate change, and helps us survive it. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.