Management and Economics | Open Access |

AI-Enabled Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Design and Governance: Integrating Predictive Intelligence, Institutional Capacity, and Global Climate Frameworks for Adaptive Futures

Dr. Thabo M. Ndlovu , University of Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Climate change has intensified the frequency, magnitude, and unpredictability of extreme weather events, placing unprecedented stress on infrastructure systems, urban settlements, and governance mechanisms worldwide. As climate risks increasingly intersect with rapid urbanization, socioeconomic inequality, and technological transformation, the need for adaptive, forward-looking, and intelligence-driven infrastructure design has become a central concern in both scholarly and policy-oriented debates. This research article advances a comprehensive theoretical and analytical exploration of artificial intelligence–enabled climate-resilient design, situating it within global climate governance frameworks, technological foresight methodologies, and institutional capacity-building processes. Drawing strictly on the provided body of literature, the study develops an integrated conceptual model that explains how AI-driven predictive analytics, scenario modeling, and adaptive decision-support systems can transform the planning, design, and governance of infrastructure exposed to climate extremes (Bandela, 2025).

The article positions AI not merely as a technical tool, but as a socio-technical system embedded within regulatory regimes, multilevel governance structures, and normative climate commitments articulated by international organizations such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN, 1992; IPCC, 2021). Through extensive theoretical elaboration, the study examines how AI-driven climate-resilient infrastructure design aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Action Pathways, and emerging national and subnational policy initiatives aimed at enhancing adaptive capacity (Uchiyama et al., 2021; UNFCCC, 2021). Particular attention is given to the role of information technology infrastructure, foresight methodologies, and participatory digital tools in reducing epistemic uncertainty and enabling anticipatory governance in the face of hard-to-predict climate shocks (Shobande et al., 2024; Sytnik & Proskuryakova, 2024).

Methodologically, the article adopts a qualitative, interpretive research design grounded in systematic literature synthesis and comparative policy analysis. Rather than empirical quantification, the study emphasizes deep contextual interpretation of existing scholarly, institutional, and policy-oriented sources to identify patterns, tensions, and opportunities in AI-enabled climate resilience strategies. The results section presents a descriptive analysis of how AI-driven approaches reshape infrastructure risk assessment, urban form, industrial resilience, and climate finance allocation, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions. The discussion critically interrogates ethical risks, institutional constraints, data governance challenges, and uneven technological capacities that may undermine the transformative potential of AI if left unaddressed.

By synthesizing diverse strands of climate resilience scholarship into a unified analytical framework, this article contributes to ongoing debates on adaptive infrastructure governance and digital transformation under climate uncertainty. It concludes by outlining future research pathways that prioritize interdisciplinary integration, equity-oriented design, and the alignment of AI innovation with global climate justice objectives.

Keywords

Climate resilience, artificial intelligence, infrastructure governance, extreme weather adaptation

References

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2021). Summary for Policymakers, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Geneva.

United Nations Children’s Fund. (2020). Tools for Climate Action. Panama, Republic of Panama.

Bandela, K. (2025). AI-driven climate resilient design: Predicting and adapting infrastructure to extreme weather patterns using AI. Lex Localis: Journal of Local Self-Government, 23.

International Monetary Fund. (2023). Closing the gap: Concessional climate finance and sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC.

United Nations Industrial Development Organization. (2015). Promoting climate resilient industry. Vienna, Austria.

Sytnik, V., & Proskuryakova, L. (2024). Expanding foresight methodology to better understand the unknown future and identify hard-to-predict events. European Journal of Futures Research.

United Nations. (2020). UN Global Climate Action. Climate Action Pathway: Climate Resilience. New York, NY.

Uchiyama, C., Ismail, N., & Stevenson, L. A. (2021). Assessing contribution to the Sendai Framework: Case study of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction projects across sectors in Asia-Pacific (2015–2020). Progress in Disaster Science, 12.

Shobande, O. A., Ogbeifun, L., & Tiwari, A. K. (2024). Unlocking information technology infrastructure for promoting climate resilience and environmental quality. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 198.

Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. (2022). XR technologies for citizen-participatory urban development.

United Nations Development Programme. (2023). For Asia-Pacific, climate change poses an existential threat of extreme weather, worsening poverty and risks to public health. New York.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2006). Technologies for adaptation to climate change. Bonn, Germany.

Lall, S., et al. (2021). Pancakes to pyramids: City form to promote sustainable growth. World Bank Group.

Lassman, J. (2022). Cities and regions for a risk-proof blue economy: Preliminary findings from the OECD Global Survey on Localising the Blue Economy. OECD.

Local Government Association. (2023). Section 114 fear for council leaders after cashless Autumn Statement. London.

International Monetary Fund. (2023). Assessing recent climate policy initiatives in the Netherlands. Washington, DC.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2021). Climate Action Pathway: Climate Resilience. Vision and Summary.

United Nations. (1992). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. New York.

Copyright License

Download Citations

How to Cite

Dr. Thabo M. Ndlovu. (2025). AI-Enabled Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Design and Governance: Integrating Predictive Intelligence, Institutional Capacity, and Global Climate Frameworks for Adaptive Futures. The American Journal of Management and Economics Innovations, 7(11), 113–121. Retrieved from https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajmei/article/view/7230