Climate resilient infrastructure: preparing for a changing climate
This document was produced as a response to calls from industry, infrastructure owners, investors and insurers, for a Government vision and policy on adapting infrastructure to climate change. It was designed to catalyse action to adapt infrastructure in the energy, ICT, transport and water sectors (infrastructure networks) and makes the case for action, identifies who needs to act, the challenges to acting and the opportunities available. Recognising that infrastructure is largely private sector funded and operated, it sets out how Government can assist others in realising an infrastructure network able to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This document is linked to wider Government work on infrastructure, in particular the Government’s National Infrastructure Plan and in addition, the UK Government’s first Adaptation Programme in 2012 will report on progress made and what further actions might be required to increase the climate resilience of infrastructure.
It i) highlights how the UK’s climate might change, the risks this presents to infrastructure and the need for climate resilient infrastructure; ii) sets out the infrastructure sectors examined by the study; iii) focuses on the need to adapt infrastructure to the impacts of climate change within the wider context of Government activity on infrastructure; iv) identifies the potential opportunities through taking early action and developing expertise in adapting national infrastructure to the impacts of climate change; v) sets out the Government’s vision and aims for adapting national infrastructure to climate change and the roles of Government and the private sector in making it happen; vi) highlights how successful adaptation approaches can improve the long-term resilience of infrastructure; vii) pulls together the main challenges and barriers preventing action. viii) focuses on the increasing risk from climate change to infrastructure interdependencies. ix) sets out the headline challenges, the opportunities for others to act and how Government can assist.