Projects

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

Our Director John Dora worked with ISO since 2015, when he became the Convener (Chair) of the international working group tasked with producing the adaptation to climate change standard (ISO 14090). Our Director Doogie Black joined the working group in 2016 to represent the UK as their Principal Expert. ISO 14090 was published in July 2019 and is available for purchase through your national standards body.

Both John and Doogie have now been in several working groups and task forces across ISO, convening in many countries globally. John is now the Lead Adaptation Expert for ISO in their Strategy Team, and Doogie sits on working groups for ISO 14091 (the Climate Change Risk Assessment Standard – due to be published in 2020), and is contributing to ISO 14097 (the Framework and Principles for Assessing and Reporting Investments and Financing Activities Related to Climate Change).

British Standards Institution (BSI)

Our two experts Tim Reeder (Chair) and Nick Pyatt (Technical Expert) are members of a BSI working group producing a new British Standard: "Decision-making for climate change – Adaptation pathways – Guide". Both Tim and Nick are experts in delivering adaptation pathways.

Tim was the first ever pioneer of the now globally recognised adaptation pathways approach when he delivered the approach for London through the Thames 2100 project. In recent years Nick has been running numerous workshops with infrastructure operators internationally (in the UK and Central Asia). The new standard is set to be published by BSI in 2020.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

ADB recognises that adequate, well-enforced infrastructure standards that factor current and future natural hazard considerations can help to prevent failure and losses, safeguard communities and economies, and create more attractive environments for investment.

Climate Sense is reporting on the current status of global best practice standards for enhancing resilience of infrastructure systems to extreme weather events, geophysical hazards and climate change. In addition to typical approaches for safeguarding or hazard-proofing infrastructure assets, Climate Sense identifies standards that seek to enhance the role of infrastructure in promoting resilience outcomes for beneficiaries and wider communities.

Met Office

Review of Climate Resilience Mainstreaming Into Regulatory and Voluntary Standards, National Guidance, and Other Sectorial/industry Codes of Practice

This project is part of a UK Strategic Priorities Fund Climate Resilience programme that draws together fragmented climate research and expertise to deliver robust, multi-disciplinary climate risk and solutions research ensuring the UK is resilient to climate variability and change. The is led by the Met Office and NERC, and is working in partnership with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) Adaptation Sub-Committee.

This project aims to understand the climate information inputs into commonly used national guidance standards. Standards e.g. Environment Agency flooding guidelines, building codes, British Standards for Adaptation, Regulatory standards etc. and provide recommendations for updating the climate information input to enhance resilience. The project will identify different climate standards and standardised industry-wide tools related to climate resilience across the sectors to be covered. Evidence of the level of engagement and influence of the identified standards will help to determine good practice guidance and recommendations for improvements.

National Trust

National Trust is the fourth largest land owner in the UK. It is responsible for a wide range of climate vulnerable assets and features from Sensitive stretches of coastline to ancient historic sites. It has commissioned Climate Sense to align its climate adaptation decision making in line with ISO14090.

Network Rail

Supporting Network Rail through ISO 14090

We are working with Network Rail (who own and manage the main line railway network in the UK). Keen to understand best practice in adaptation planning, we are working with Network Rail to assess their current practice and identify what additional measures would be required to be aligned with ISO14090 requirements.

CEN-CENELEC

Embedding climate change adaptation within prioritized EU Infrastructure Standards

Our experts are currently delivering a contract for CEN-CENELEC (the European Standards body), entitled the ACC-CG Project. The project is already in its second phase. Our Directors John Dora and Doogie Black are two of the three ACC experts selected by the European Commission to embed adaptation to climate change (ACC) into priority European infrastructure standards.

We have been working closely with Technical Committees (TCs) who write European Standards in order write, and test, our guidance document on how to include ACC. This work is ongoing, and the already highly acclaimed guidance document is due to be published in 2020.

Energy UK

Supporting Energy UK through ISO 14090 Delivery

We are working with Energy UK (the trade association for the UK energy generation industry). Some of its members have, and are, developing climate adaptation plans. They are working with our experts to explore the use of ISO14090 as the basis for identifying best planning practice. Climate Sense have been asked to assess their current practice and what additional measures would be required to be aligned with ISO14090 requirements.

EBRD

Climate change: Standards, and their role in improving the climate resilience of infrastructure investments (EBRD, 2018)

Our Director John Dora was commissioned to research and write this this report for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The report explores standards related to climate resilience, and how they may be able to contribute towards achieving the 2016 Paris Agreement and its aspirations to upscale financing for climate resilient, long-lived infrastructure.

German Environment Agency

Identifying best practice in Climate Change Adaptation standards for German Environment Agency

Our Director Doogie Black is currently commissioned as a project advisor in a project looking across all standards within Europe (at industry, national and regional levels) that have ACC embedded within them. The objective being to identify best practices that can help inform how Germany can improve its own standardization programme. Results will be published in late 2020.