Paving the Way for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure - UN CC:Learn

PART IChapter 4: A ‘No-Regrets’ Risk-Based Approach to Climate Proofing Public InfrastructureSeveral key concepts for decision-making for climate proofing can be drawn from the risk-vulnerabilitychain and the above definitions:a) Climate risks are associated with both climate variability and change in the present and future,and therefore related to both CCA and DRM. This is ‘climate risk management.’b) Natural hazards drive the need for climate proofing, but vulnerability and capacity are majordeterminants of actual losses from a given hazard event.c) Vulnerability and capacity can be changed by policies/regulations (software) and investments(hardware). A combination of improved codes and standards and improved constructiontechniques are needed.d) Mainstreaming and integration of CCA and DRM in the context of a multisectoral territorialplanning (that includes land-use plans and natural resource management plans) can result inoptions for no-regrets actions.e) There are acceptable levels of risk that should be determined by a wide range of stakeholders.f) Key aspects of ‘acceptable risk’ include the sustainability of critical facilities in the short term(in response to a hazard event), and the long term (in response to changes in climate over time).g) There is a need for multidimensionality: economic, social, environmental, and cultural dimensionsshould be considered.h) The entire project cycle should be considered: planning, design, construction, operationand maintenance.Climate proofing infrastructure: A risk-based no-regrets approach 11Public infrastructure tends to be multifunctional and serve a wide range of diverse stakeholders spread overa wide geographic area (beyond where the infrastructure is physically located). By its very nature, publicinfrastructure provides many critical services directly and indirectly, and interruptions in services can causenegative economic impacts to many households over wide geographic areas. The negative economicimpacts, although local, can have important macroeconomic impacts (Freeman et al., 2002). The vulnerabilityof a given point in space to meteorological or geo-physical hazards can depend on the CCA and DRMcapacity over a wide area, especially for storms, floods, landslides and mudslides. It is critical to identify theappropriate accounting stance for decision-making about climate proofing (e.g. community, municipality,district, watershed) to apply the risk-based approach based on components in Figures 4.1 and 4.2.‘‘ The objective of arisk-based approach toCCA is to manage boththe current and futurerisks associated withthe full spectrum ofhydro-meteorologicaland geologicalhazards. This is bestundertaken in a holisticmanner as an integralpart of sustainabledevelopment planning.’’Public infrastructure projects have life expectancies that require consideration of present and futureclimate conditions. Climate change, manifested through changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions,will impose both increased and new risks on many natural and human systems, especially as a result ofchanges in climate variability and changes in the frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events.The objective of a risk-based approach to CCA is to manage both the current and future risks associatedwith the full spectrum of hydro-meteorological and geological hazards. This is best undertaken in aholistic manner as an integral part of sustainable development planning.11Drawn from: Asian Development Bank(ADB, 2005b) Climate-Proofing: A RiskbasedApproach to Adaptation. PacificStudies Series. http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Climate-Proofing/main-report.aspPaving the Way for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Conference Proceedings 27