Building Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Climate Change Threats

In his opinion article, David Jenkins, CEO of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA), discussed climate change’s significant implications for asset management.

He cited some of the extreme weather events that occurred in the past decade, which caused billions of dollars in damages.

He said that building resilience into infrastructure is vital to addressing this problem. Building climate resilience means the infrastructure and system can maintain their function while absorbing stresses caused by climate change.

He added that climate resilience should be built into the planning phase, and early mitigation measures will save five times the cost of repairs.

Jenkins referred to the McKinsey & Company article “Climate resilience: Asset owners need to get involved now.” He cited the following: ” Asset owners must start by answering fundamental questions about the particular risks of their unique geography, calculate the costs of asset loss or damages as well as business disruption, decide how to protect critical components, and prioritize strategies with the greatest return on investment.”

The article recommends that infrastructure asset owners use various adaptation strategies to deal with climate-related risks. As mentioned in the article, climate adaptation measures should apply a layered approach.