This session is Part 3 of the ISO Standards on Adaptation To Climate Change Series.
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.
Director, Climate Sense
John Dora has nearly 40 years’ experience in managing infrastructure, including flood risk management and asset management of railway structures. John is the International Standards Organisation’s (ISO) global lead for adaptation, chairing ISO committees on standards’ strategy and internal climate-related communications. He is a recognized international expert on climate change adaptation, and his clients include or have included the United Nations, the UK Met Office, Copernicus Climate Services, the UK rail industry, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and CEN/CENELEC, and the European Standards’ organisation. Along with his expertise in infrastructure, resilience, and adaptation, John is an accomplished lecturer, designing and delivering courses on sustainability, asset management, and resilience at the University of Birmingham and at the University of Surrey, where he is a visiting professor. John founded John Dora Consulting in 2012 and continues to work in the field of infrastructure resilience and engineering as owner of the firm. In 2019 he helped form Climate Sense and is a director of that firm.
