Climate Resilient Infrastructure

During a Climate Resilient Infrastructure side event, we heard from a variety of speakers discussing climate action. GIZ, a German service provider in international development and education, described their project portfolio, of which 1/3 is climate-related. Carlos Fuller of Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) in Belize and chief negotiator for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) spoke of a risk management tool called CCORAL that supports climate compatible development; with the tool, users answer a series of yes or no questions and the tool helps them determine if their project is low, medium or high climate risk. This tool can help evaluate projects such as a revised transportation plan or road upgrade to the port. In one example, the Caribbean Development Bank incorporated climate design and elevated a road to reduce risk.


We also heard from Darryl Danyluk of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), with representation from 100 nations. They are concerned with infrastructure vulnerable to extreme weather events. Infrastructure is designed for a long service life (~50 years), but climate uncertainty requires additional planning and investment up front.  Design codes can be dated when a one in 100-year flood becomes a one in 20-year flood. It is also important to consider that infrastructure is often interdependent; for example, when a culvert collapses from flooding, that failure may impact a co-located gas line, water line, stormwater system, or sewage management system. Population growth, especially in coastal areas and along rivers, has exacerbated infrastructure problems. He gave an example from Calgary in which a wastewater treatment plant was inundated with floodwaters and waste from half a million people went into the river, which then flowed past other towns before reaching the ocean. While this was the fourth such event in 120 years, this event was especially consequential because of the population right along the river.


Several country representatives added to the discussion. Nilesh Prakash, of the Republic of Fiji mentioned that major climatic events impacted many sectors in 2016, and in 2018, they experienced back-to-back cyclones. Climatic events are becoming more intense and more frequent. They are not insuring houses but are insuring households, and the government subsidizes insurance premiums. A representative from Ghana mentioned that they are in a data gathering stage to help improve stability in public assets. Efforts are focused in Accra, which is home to a small percentage of the population but generates 25% of the GDP. When Accra is impacted, it affects the entire country. They are conducting cost-benefit analyses to show how risk reduction now might reduce future losses, and are working to improve data quality by identifying risks, tracking historical loss data, and maintaining a registry of public assets to determine who owns the risk. A representative from Costa Rica mentioned that prime insurance rates are lowered for projects that incorporate adaptation measures, and that this is especially relevant for small farms.