Transcript Brownfields

Adapting Infrastructure to Climate Change:
The role of Codes, Standards and Related Instruments –
a policy perspective
APEGGA 2008 Conference
Infrastructure Integrity- Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Session
Edmonton, April 18, 2008
By Michael Mortimer
Program Manager, Built Environment Standards
Discussion outline
Introduction
•
Civil Infrastructure - overview
•
Implications of Climate Change
•
Codes and Standards – Key concepts
•
What makes “North of 60” unique?
NRTEE’s Climate Change Adaptation in the North Study
Specific Findings
 Governance & Accountability
 Information & Content
 Economic and Regulatory policy
 Capacity to adapt in Northern communities
Question and answer session
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Civil Infrastructure - Overview
The services provided by civil infrastructure works touch all of us in many ways…
Services
Categories
Shelter
Safety and security
Aesthetics
Heat, Light and Power
Mobility for people, goods and
services
Health and recreation
Wealth creation
Homes & Buildings
Transportation networks
Energy networks
Water, Waste, & Storm water networks
Industrial structures
Communications networks
Landfills and waste depots
Culture and recreational facilities
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Climate Change Impacts on
Infrastructure
• Direct impacts:
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Changes in seasonality
and type of precipitation
Intensity of precipitation
More coastal and river
flooding
Sea level rise
More freeze-thaw cycles
Melting permafrost
• Indirect impacts:
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Changes to peak energy
demand
More frequent and severe
water shortages
Reduced service levels or
product quantity/quality
 Critical failures
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Implications for Codes, Standards
and Related Instruments (CSRI)
 CSRI rely on climate information to determine
design loads
 Historical climate values are no longer reliable
predictors of future climate conditions
 Future-looking, site-specific climate data is
needed to upgrade CSRI
 Many codes and standards still use historical
data
 Environment Canada starting to address
issues and current shortfalls in climate data
but much more work is required
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Implications for Codes, Standards and
Related Instruments (CSRI) cont’d
 Possible options for “upgrading” Canadian
based CSRI:
 Use climate information based on most
recent trends
 Choose and apply variables associated with
future scenarios
 Encourage the use of local climate
knowledge
 Creative approaches will be needed to
upgrade US and international CSRI used in
Canada
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Adaptation responses differ and are
local
- Needs vary between communities and regions; urban vs. rural;
densely populated vs. remote; north of 60 vs. south of 60
- Climate change must be considered in combination with other
factors; climate change cannot be considered in isolation
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What makes ‘north of 60’ unique
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Unique bio-physical Climate issues
 Permafrost
 Rate of warming much greater than in other
Canadian regions
 Understanding rate of underground temperature
changes is a key issue in the North
 Climate regions are diverse even within the North
 Loss of reflectivity of the snow (i.e., reduced
albido) and increased precipitation
 Sea ice
 Many classes of infrastructure have similar
problems because of the above
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What makes ‘north of 60’ unique
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Unique Community issues
 Isolation
 Population density ‘critical mass’
 Limited inland mobility and access
 Increased access via sea
 Sea level rise; coastal erosion has a more acute
impact in North (risks ‘wipe out’ of entire
communities)
 Unique Economic issues
 Reliance on single industry in many cases
 More emphasis on Northern economic
development means increased pressure on
Infrastructure systems that are already weak
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Northern Codes & Standards study
Part of a larger initiative by the National Round Table on
the Environment and Economy (NRTEE) on Climate
Change Adaptation Policy – variety of projects
undertaken
Mechanisms investigated:
 Codes and standards
 Insurance and finance
 Disaster management
Final report expected to be released in June 2008.
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Situation Summary: Codes & Standards
(CSRI)
Entrenched system yet, must respond to
changing needs in 21st century
Re-thinking of CSRI core objectives and priorities
occurring across both topics and jurisdictions
Climate change only one of many changedrivers
Updating process often slow, multi-year
Change is evolutionary, incremental; sufficient?
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Objective
How do CSRI enable or inhibit
adaptive capacity-building?
Infrastructure categories considered:
 Buildings
 Transportation
 Containment structures (tailings ponds)
 Energy
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Basic Principles
Definitions “CSRI”
 Codes
 Standards
 Examples of related instruments
Broad landscape and complex interrelationships
Representation and committee balance options
Has implications for priority-setting and development of content
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Content of CSRI
Alternatives
 Prescriptive approach
 Performance-based approach
Has implications for assignment of accountability and risk
transfer
Content must be locally relevant regardless of origin
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Content of Codes & Standards
Ultimate Goal
Promote proactive management of risks related to
Climate Change
Challenges
 Prescriptive approach predominates
 Prescriptions not always applicable to North
 Professional judgement often used (good!) but…
 Consistency of approach varies
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Governance & Accountability issues
Liability considerations
• CSRI intended to help manage risk & apportion
accountability for risk amongst stakeholders
• Abandoned mines/de-commissioned tailing ponds
used as an illustrative example
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Mine tailing ponds example
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Governance & Accountability issues
Abandoned mines example
Key consideration - Accountability for risk of failed
structures and resultant consequences
Challenge
Climate change opens up new risks
Opportunity
Move to permanent closure versus monitoring in
perpetuity
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Information and content issues
Key Considerations
• Permafrost degradation
• Changing intensity and duration: snow loads,
precipitation
Challenges
• Limited historical data
• Limited permafrost data
• Existing information is very general; needs to be
specific at the local level
• No central source for data – knowledge is disparate,
fragmented
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Information and content issues
Opportunities
•
Improve the capacity of agencies responsible for climate data
development/analysis
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Data needs
 Forward-looking rather than historical perspective
 Sufficiently detailed for region and site-specific use
 More robust; provide fact-based, tested evidence to drive
precautionary measures, improve confidence of predictions
•
Improved means to disseminate data & share knowledge
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Information and content issues
Example: Anecdotal perceptions of ‘Southern bias’
Challenges
• Northern data not as robust as in other regions
• Content sometimes not relevant to the North
Opportunities
• Nurture pan-Northern, circumpolar, international
collaboration
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Economic and Regulatory policy
Challenge
 Data and processes not always ‘locally
relevant’
Opportunities
 Move to performance approaches where
feasible
 Provide incentives to innovate and/or
 Adjust risk-sharing arrangements
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Capacity to adapt in the North
Challenges
 Risk of infrastructure failures due to Climate
Change could impede Northern development
Opportunities
 Pan-Northern and cross-sectoral approach
 Develop Northern-focussed technical institutes to
bring researchers together; pool/share knowledge
 Annexes and chapters to address unique Northern
conditions
Introduction
Key concepts
Findings
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Thank You
For more information:
“[email protected]”
416-747-2593
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