Bamboo Bridges: A Nature-based Solution

Abstract

Given the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, developing countries are unable to develop their infrastructure, including small houses and bridges, using the same carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission "heavy" technologies as the "West" has used. Using the case of two bamboo bridge projects in China, we argue that a nature-based solution (NBS), like bamboo and wood, means considerably fewer CO₂ emissions compared to a similar bridge made of concrete and/or steel, and therefore should become the norm for small bridges worldwide. Another important aspect of a bamboo bridge is how this technology, an NBS based on local materials and knowledge, situates itself in the local community compared to a concrete or steel bridge. Creating local, or at least non-urban employment by using bamboo and using local knowledge about bamboo construction in combination with help from public scientific institutions means less dependence on high-tech capital equipment and high-level engineering expertise, which are scarce and/or expensive in developing countries. The fact that a bamboo bridge can perform cultural and social functions to a greater extent than a concrete bridge, resulting in the local community becoming more engaged in the bridge's construction and maintenance, can be an important additional factor in convincing the local community to choose a bamboo bridge, given that global warming is, by its very nature, an issue much more remote from everyday life in small rural communities.