This session is Part 3 of the ISO Standards on Adaptation To Climate Change Series. It will begin with a presentation on the assessment of adaptive capacity and then an exercise on how to derive required adaptation actions from this and the climate change risk assessments. The webinar will close out with a presentation on the interpretation of and communication of results followed by an exercise.
Published in February of 2021, the ISO 14091 Standard gives guidelines for assessing the risks related to the potential impacts of climate change. ISO 14091, Adaptation to Climate Change—guidelines on vulnerability, impacts, and risk assessment is the latest in the emerging family of standards on climate change adaptation that sit under the umbrella of ISO 14090, Adaptation to climate change—principles, requirements, and guidelines. It describes how to understand vulnerability as well as how to develop and implement a sound risk assessment, which can be used for both present and future climate change risks. The standard provides guidance on the use of screening assessments and impact chains, allowing for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Risk assessments, among other purposes, provide information on identifying adaptation actions and prioritizing them. Risk assessments conducted in accordance with this document also strengthen planning activities on disaster risk reduction (DRR). Having such information, and being able to document it in an internationally agreed way, helps organizations of all kinds and sizes make better business decisions and assists with climate-related reporting. This standard covers risks that result from a changing climate and recognizes that climate risks can be threats or opportunities. It does not address risks that result from the transition to a low carbon economy. But, many of the requirements in ISO 14090 series can be aligned with actions already being undertaken by organizations that use ISO 14001 Standard on Environmental Management.
This standard contributes to goals 3, 13, 14 and 15 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The standard can be purchased from Techstreet™ Store.
- Learn about developing a systematic approach for managing the full life cycle of adaptation to climate change and risk assessment considerations.
- Understand how to strengthen adaptation planning activities and potential for disaster risk reduction.
- Learn how to navigate decision making that improves objectivity and brings transparency to value judgements.
- Learn how the standard helps with incorporating adaptation strategies to entire sectors and business supply chains regardless of size, type, and nature.
- Engineers and geoscientists working for local governments and communities;
- Firms providing services in developing adaptation strategies; and
- Engineers and geoscientists working in the field of climate change.
President, Green Sky Sustainability Consulting Inc.
Nelson Lee has advised corporations and governments on strategies for improving their sustainability related to environment, health, and safety performance for the past 30 years and climate change management in the past 10 years. He directed Climate Change Sustainability teams at two leading consulting firms since 2004 before establishing his own firm, Green Sky Sustainability, in 2015. Since 2013 he has represented Canada revising and writing new GHG and climate change standards. He has contributed as a Working Group Expert developing ISO 14091—Climate change risk and vulnerability assessments. Nelson was the former Chair of Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Sustainability Advisory Group and was part of the Steering Group that helped oversee the development of Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Climate Change Action Plan.
Managing Director, Adelphi Consult Gmbh
Walter Kahlenborn is co-founder and Managing Director of adelphi. The core topics of his research and consultancy work are climate change adaptation and risk assessments, sustainable economic development and sustainable financial services. He advises federal ministries, the European Commission, companies and organizations. Since 1995, he has managed more than 100 national and international research and advisory projects with interdisciplinary teams. He has lead numerous climate change risk assessments in different countries and is leading Germany’s second risk assessment. In addition, he is co-author of the Vulnerability Sourcebook: Concept and guidelines for standardized vulnerability assessments (2014) and the Guideline for climate impact and vulnerability analyses. Recommendations of the Interministerial Working Group on Adaptation to Climate Change of the German Federal Government (2017). Recently, he was the convenor of the ISO working group that developed the new international standard for climate risk assessments (ISO 14091:2021 Adaption to climate change: Guidelines on vulnerability impacts and risk assessment).
Consultant, adelphi consult GmbH
Linda Hoelscher is a Consultant at adelphi. The main focus of her work is adaptation to climate change, adaptation finance and climate risk assessments. She has implemented several research and consultancy projects for the German Ministry for the Environment and the Federal Environment Agency and developed recommendations for advancing the German adaptation strategy and the third national adaptation plan. Linda has contributed to the second German climate impact and risk analysis as well as other climate risk and vulnerability assessments. She is currently developing a methodology to assess public expenditure for climate adaptation in Germany. Linda holds an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics (LSE). Before joining adelphi she was working for the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) on behalf of the German Ministry for the Environment.
