Lines of actions
Coherence in Climate Policies – Products Coherence in Climate Policies Coherence in Climate Policies – Success Stories Coherence in Climate Policies – Success Factors Risk Management and Climate Proofing Climate Proofing – Products Climate Proofing – Success Stories Climate Proofing – Success Factors Establishing Climate Services Establishing Climate Services – Products Establishing Climate Services – Success Stories Establishing Climate Services – Success Factors

Coherence in Climate Policies – Products

In Costa Rica, the long-term vision for Climate Services was incorporated into the National Adaptation Policy that was launched in 2018. Now, CSI is supporting its partners in translating this long term vision into reality. A first success in this is a presidential decree on the climate-resilient planning of infrastructure that will make the use of Climate Services obligatory. It also includes provisions aimed at achieving Costa Rica’s of Open Data, obliging institutions collecting data to make it accessible. Depending on how the decree is going to be implemented, this is an opportunity to solve the longstanding problem of access to hydrological data in the country. Costa Rica has taken a step towards climate resilience infrastructure. By launching a presidential decree to ensure that climate change constitutes an integral part in infrastructure planning, it guarantees the continuity of public services and long-term reduction of climate related costs due damages and losses, thus public safety. Costa Rica has taken a step towards climate resilience society. By launching a presidential decree to make climate risk informed infrastructure planning mandatory, it anticipates, prepares for and adapts to climate change.  By launching a presidential decree to ensure that climate change constitutes an integral part in infrastructure planning, Costa Rica has taken a step towards climate resilience infrastructure.

The link to the decree (spanish)

Vietnam is committed to achieving Goal 9 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which focuses on making infrastructure sustainable and resilient. As part of this commitment, the country is working to increase the resilience of its infrastructure nationwide through the implementation of its Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP), National Adaptation Plan (NAP), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This article summarizes the initial findings of Vietnam’s efforts and presents an innovative approach consisting of three strategic measures.

The first measure is to enhance the provision of user-friendly climate services for infrastructure planners. The second measure is to improve the use of climate services and consider climate risk assessment in the infrastructure planning process. The third measure is to mainstream the approach of climate-proofing for infrastructure into the SEDP, NDC, and NAP of Vietnam.

This article provides an insight into Vietnam’s strategy for enhancing climate services as a basis for mainstreaming climate change adaptation into infrastructure planning. It was originally published in March 2019 in the Journal of Economy Forecast Review, No. 7, Volume 03/2019, pp.10-15, and has been translated and adapted from the Vietnamese original.

To ensure the provision of current and future water-related services, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) recognizes the need for well-functioning, climate-resilient infrastructures that support the sustainable use of Nile water resources. This includes flood control, irrigation, and energy production. To achieve its mandate of establishing governance mechanisms and promoting decision support systems for sustainable water management and development, climate-proofing of water-use-related infrastructure is a necessary condition. In line with the Nile Sustainability Framework and the Nile Basin Strategy, a semi-technical guideline has been developed to facilitate the mainstreaming of climate-proofing into all short- or long-term bankable investment decisions at the Nile Basin level. This guideline provides step-by-step guidance to project owners, developers, operators, consultants, decision-makers, policy-makers, financial institutions, and technical advisors on how to incorporate climate resilience into all phases of the project development cycle. Each phase of the infrastructure investment cycle – identification, preparation, implementation, resources mobilization, and operation – should apply all five stages of climate risk management, namely scoping, risk assessment, risk treatment, monitoring, and evaluation. The approach, methodology, and scope will vary within each step. A key characteristic of the development process has been the testing of the PIEVC risk assessment methodology using two case studies from the Nile Basin transboundary context. Through multiple stakeholder dialogues and feedback loops, the guideline has created strong ownership among process participants.

Coherence in Climate Policies

  • The challenge of aligning climate change adaptation policies with infrastructure-related policies is a problem faced by many countries. In addition, there is a need for closer coordination between different actors to ensure policy coherence.
  • While the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) play a core role in enhancing Climate Services, their lack of political clout makes it difficult for them to influence national policies and budget allocations.
  • To address this, Climate Services need to become part of the agendas of both climate and infrastructure policy.

Coherence in Climate Policies – Success Factors

  • Creating policy coherence requires both horizontal and vertical policy coherence, which means that infrastructure resilience needs to become part of adaptation plans and climate change adaptation needs to be integrated into the infrastructure planning and investment cycle across all government levels.
  • New alliances and bargaining arenas for negotiating the process of bringing infrastructure and climate policy together are also needed.
  • Identifying an appropriate action track around which an adaptation coalition can be formed is key to achieving policy coherence.
  • Change agents, including rule setters, sectoral champions, and potential multipliers, can play a vital role in driving this process. Incorporating all relevant actors along the value chain into such networks is necessary.

Risk Management and Climate Proofing

Although there is agreement that infrastructure must become more resilient to climate change, action to incorporate climate change into infrastructure planning and management is lacking.

  • This is due to various reasons, such as the perception that there are more pressing issues, challenges in obtaining and using climate services, and a lack of regulatory incentives. These challenges make planning infrastructure to last up to 100 years particularly difficult. Decision-makers are only willing to invest in adaptation if there is a solid regulatory foundation in place.
The challenges may be plenty, but there still is no alternative to taking action to climate-proof infrastructure. In addition to saving money, considering climate change adaptation early-on in the planning process also offers the opportunity to identify and reap co-benefits.
  • This becomes especially apparent when considering Ecosystem Based Adaptation options. For example, if mangroves are rehabilitated in addition to building a dyke, this does not only provide added protection from flooding that would otherwise need to be dearly bought via an even higher dyke, it also provides a habitat to local fauna, reduces sediment loss and can serve as carbon sink.
  • The realisation that climate proofing is necessary is not new. Many have set themselves upon developing tools for the climate-proofing of infrastructure. This plethora of tools and approaches, though potentially overwhelming, also provides infrastructure planners with a treasure chest full of tools to mix and match based on their needs.
However, infrastructure planners and managers are often left alone with the question of how to adapt these tools to their contexts. Few approaches provide any guidance on how to get the Climate Services necessary for implementing the climate proofing.
  • Likewise, Climate Services providers are seldom systematically incorporated into climate proofing processes, making it hard for them to know and deliver upon what is needed from them.
  • There is therefore a need to provide guidance both on how to tailor approaches to different decision-making contexts and on how to develop and use the Climate Services that go along with this.

Climate Proofing – Products

Around the world, the proper function of infrastructure designs and systems is keen to public and economic safety. In the past, engineers and architects has relied on historical for the development of long-lasting, safe and reliable infrastructure, notwithstanding changing weather conditions inherent to climate change demand new design and operational practices. As such, the Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) established in 2005 by Engineers Canada and partners, developed a vulnerability assessment (PIEVC Engineering Protocol for Infrastructure Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change) to ensure that climate change constitutes an integral part in all stages of civil infrastructure and thus improves its resilience towards current and future climate.  This methodology enables an interdisciplinary team to identify the infrastructure components with the highest risk or the likeliest threat and henceforward decision-makers shall be better informed when exercising their judgement on adaption measurements.  The identification of risk, defined as the interaction between exposure with probability, results on a risk matrix whereby each climate parameter and infrastructure component is analyzed.  Additionally, project owner and planners gained information about the adaptive capacity of the individuals infrastructure which is dependent on its design, operation and maintenance. Since 2008, the Protocol has been applied on wide range infrastructure including: wastewater systems, roads, bridges, transmission lines, electricity distribution, buildings and water supply and managements systems. Beside the implementation in Canada, CSI has conducted four pilot risk assessment on each of the partner country.  Lastly, since 2020 the ownership and control of the PIEVC Program has been transferred to the cooperation between the Institute of Loss reduction (ICLR) , the Climate Risk Institute (CRI) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Explames:
•  Vietnam: Cai Lon – Cai Be sluice gate
A climate risk assessment based on the PIEVC Protocol was piloted for the Cai Lon -Cai be sluice gate. The recommendations to prevent saltwater intrusion induced by climate change have been mainstreamed in the new design.
•     NBI: Borenga Multipurpose Dams
A climate risk assessment for the Borenga Multipurpose Dams in the NBI was conducted based on the PIEVC Protocol. The NBI is making the methodology a core element of its new climate proofing guideline.
•  Costa Rica:  Bridge over Tempisque River
A participatory risk assessment tool for infrastructure named PIEVC, was used to decide between rebuilding or retrofitting an existing bridge in Costa Rica. The experience has led to develop their own official tool.
•  Brazil: Electrosul, Transmission Line, Santa Catarina
To address the vulnerability of transmission lines to climate change, a climate risk assessment based on the PIEVC tool was piloted in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The results highlight the need of climate-risk-informed planning.

For decision-maker to choose adequate adaptation measures, climate services should support them with the provision of climate information. The problem lies whether climate information is presented in a user-friendly way that assures the understanding and usability of it. In most cases climatologists and non-climatologists do not speak the same language. What do we mean by it? Climate information is usually presented in a very technical and scientific way limiting the comprehension for the non-climatologists users; project owners, engineers or investment planners. This is no-exception in the context of climate risk assessment. The limited understanding usually leads to a lack of questioning the results. Hence, results are taken for granted, even if a lot of uncertainties do exit. Among other activities to address this issue, CSI has developed a guidance which provides a structure on how climate information developed along each step of the climate risk assessment should be presented in user-friendly way. This document should be understood as an accompanying document to the climate risk assessment report itself. It is structured under two parts. The first one provides an overview of the methodology and the suggested structure. For a better understanding, the second part applies it for the Cai Lon- Cai-Be sluice gate climate risk assessment in Vietnam. The climate information developed along each of the PIEVC steps is structured under seven key points, which improve the presentation by highlighting the uncertainties, limitations and major challenges.

You can read the guidance here.

Resources, capital and capacities are required for the assessment of climate risk, however the availability, quantity and expenses are beforehand unknown for decision-makers. How many people would need to be hired? What level of expertise is required? How long will it take? How much is it going to cost? The lack of answers to these questions limit or delay the decision by project owners or investment planners whether or not to conduct a climate risk assessment for their infrastructure investments. To facilitate and streamline the replica of the Cai Lon-Cai Be sluice gate climate risk assessment in Vietnam, this document provides a detail description of the kind of services needed during it as well as for two more hypothetical risk assessments in Vietnam. Based on the structure of a typical recipe, the provided services are divided in three components; procedure, quantity and costs. Within the procedure, all activities along the climate risk assessment are described. In the quantity section, a list of tasks, the workload and the time estimation within each activity is displayed, followed by the estimation of the related cost for all tasks. To illustrate the application of the proposed recipe, three different scenarios were showcased whereby a variation of the users (public or private) and the planning stages (feasibility study and after construction) highlighted which were the relevant inputs under the different circumstances. All in all, this document aims to streamline the decision-making process and facilitate the cost-benefits analysis by making available a tool which helps weight alternatives.

Key results/ take away from the climate risk assessment:

  • Under normal conditions a climate risk assessment should last no more than 8 to 9 months
  •  Climate Risk Assessment is not necessary for the stage of pre-feasibility study
  • If the climate risk assessment is conducted for the stage of feasibility rather than for the stage of after construction, the cost associated are much lower for the former than the latter, pointing out the economic benefits of early investment.

Acces the recipe here!

Climate Proofing – Success Factors

  • Climate Proofing and Risk Assessment measures are expensive. Prioritization is therefore important.
  • Involve a diverse set of actors, ranging from climate science to infrastructure operators to infrastructure service receivers.
  • Under normal conditions a climate risk assessment should last no more than 8 to 9 months
  • If the climate risk assessment is conducted for the stage of feasibility rather than for the stage of after construction, the cost are much lower for the former than the latter, pointing out the economic benefits of early investment.

Establishing Climate Services

Climate information is crucial for effective adaptation, particularly in the infrastructure sector, where structures are built to last for decades.

  • However, the information needed for infrastructure planning is different from that used in agriculture, and currently, there is a lack of tailored climate information for infrastructure planners.
  • The challenge is to develop climate services that meet the specific needs of infrastructure planners, considering the different decision-making contexts and vulnerabilities of each component.
  • In order to address this challenge, taking a holistic view that involves all actors along the value chain from climate data to adaptation decisions is important.
  • Often, one of the main challenges is the lack of an institutional or governance framework that allows for continuous cooperation among providers and users of climate services.
  • Although National Meteorological and Hydrological Services are important stakeholders in the provision of climate services, they cannot take the lead in their development without additional resources and extensive capacity development.
  • Therefore, a more inclusive approach involving all actors along the value chain is needed.

Establishing Climate Services – Products

To enhance the provision and use of climate services for infrastructure, one should first assess the state of National Climate Services in partner countries, analyzing the most vulnerable infrastructure sector in each.

The five pillars of the Global Framework of Climate Services should be used, and governance should be added as the sixth pillar for analysis.

Key stakeholders and their interactions along the climate-value-chain should be identified to provide an overview of the network, demand, use, and provision of climate services for specific infrastructure sectors.

Reports should highlight strengths, challenges, opportunities, and threats, serving as a starting point for short and long-term strategies. Handouts and training materials should be created for circulation to ensure the results reach a wide audience.

Examples:

Baseline Assessment for the climate services in Germany. The study provides 6 main recommendations for an enhanced provision and use of Climate Services for adaptation planning in Germany.

Trough the participation of 88 climate services providers in Brazil as part of the baseline assessment, it was possible to map the national supply side; its capacities, available resources and interactions.

This report encompasses the current status of the main climate-services providers and users for the transmission line sector in Brazil, accordingly the identification of opportunities, challenges and threats for this sector.

The report focuses on the assessment of respective capabilities and available resources of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

The report provides a snap-shot of the current network, demand, use and provision of climate services for the coastal protection sector in Vietnam, vital for the provision of food and the prevention of disaster in Vietnam.

The road infrastructure system in Costa Rica is vulnerable to hydro-meteorological events. To minimize the risk, the provision and use of CS, as well as the challenges and opportunities, within this sector were assessed.

During the baseline and climate risk assessments, it was discovered that there are gaps in the provision of climate information. The lack of skills and capacities in providing quality services, as well as products that do not meet the specific needs of users, hinder usability.

To address these issues, a compilation of eight climate products has been created. These products analyze the current and predicted effects of climate parameters such as temperature, wind, precipitation, lighting, and sea level on the region of Santa Catarina, specifically focusing on two infrastructures: the transmission lines and the port of Itajai.

The purpose of these products is to support decision-makers in integrating climate considerations into the planning, implementation, maintenance, and operation of both infrastructures.

Products:

An analysis of the current frequency of extreme events related to the sea level and its impact on the port of Itajai is foregone. The last chapter simulated the frequency by which those events will happen in the future.

This study analyzes the occurrence and frequency of extreme winds in the state of Santa Catarina based on historical data and future climate projections and the impact of those events on Electrosul´s transmission lines.

The study examines the occurrence and frequency of lighting in the state of Santa Catarina. These information is then used for estimating the vulnerability of Electrosul´s transmission lines to climate change.

Based on a climate regional model, the study identifies potential changes in the current as well as the future availability of solar and wind resources in Brazil which helps to understand the related-risk for the energy sector.

The report focus on the meteorological phenomena, such as floods or winds, potentially responsible for damages on transmission line of Electrosul and the port of Itajaí in the state of Santa Catarina.

The study focus on the estimation of climate extreme based on Eta20km MIROC5, Eta20km CanESM and EtaHadGEM2. Eta models are used for regional climate projections alternating between different climate change scenarios with a focus on South & North America.

Establishing Climate Services – Success Stories

Establishing Climate Services – Success Factors

  • Take an inclusive approach to the development of climate services, involving all actors along the climate services value chain.