Study on Enhancing Climate Services for the Road and Bridges Infrastructure Sector in Costa Rica

Infrastructures are the fundamental basis for the sustainable development of a society’s economic prosperity and social well-being. The road infrastructure system in Costa Rica is especially vulnerable to extreme hydro-meteorological events. In the period from 2005 to 2017 such events caused economic losses of about US$ 2.210 million in the infrastructure sector of which more than half refers to road infrastructure (CNE 2017).

In order to guarantee the functionality of the road infrastructure in the future and minimize costs for their preservation and reconstruction, climate proof infrastructure systems are essential. Climate risk management processes require the availability of adequate climate information which can be incorporated into development decisions and policy at relevant scale.

In order to enhance the provision and use of climate information the current state of a National Climate Service for the context of the road infrastructure sector needs to be assessed and analysed. The baseline assessment is based on the concept and structure of the Global Framework of Climate Services.

The study provides an overview of the Climate Service inventory which encompasses currently available Climate Service capacities and specific products. It furthermore reflects the current use and demands of Climate Services from the road infrastructure sector and lays out potential measures for enhancing Climate Services for the road and bridges infrastructure sector as a basis for efficient and effective adaptation planning.