Adapting to climate change: ISO 14090 tells you how

The predicted and observed impacts of climate change are likely to weigh heavily on businesses and local authorities that have failed to anticipate them. To help them, there is now a robust framework and approach that enables them to plan their adaptation actions.

In fall 2019, the World Meteorological Organization (a UN agency) revealed that 2018 was one of the hottest years since 1850, with average CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere reaching new highs. Average weather conditions and the frequency of extreme events (heat waves, droughts, storms, floods, etc.) are already undergoing profound changes. One thing is certain: these changes will intensify until the end of the century. "It has therefore become necessary to prepare for the sometimes devastating consequences of climate change: in parallel with mitigation measures, adaptation measures are needed," says Laurence Thomas, project manager for "Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation" at AFNOR Standardization.

Laurence Thomas chaired the committee of professionals who, on behalf of France, helped draft a new voluntary international standard designed as a guide to help businesses and local authorities of all sizes think in terms of climate adaptation: the NF EN ISO 14090 standard This topic is one of the priorities of the French standardization strategy, under the heading " ecological transition Approved by an ISO committee comprising 62 countries, the standard was published in France in November 2019 in the AFNOR collection, eighteen months after being subject to public inquiry .

NF EN ISO 14090: putting the concept of resilience into practice

Until now, only local authorities have received support in their efforts to adapt to climate change, thanks to the Impact' Climat and Objectif' Climat recommendations and methodologies developed by ADEME. The new ISO 14090 standard draws on these methodologies, adapting them to all types of organizations, including businesses. To illustrate how an adaptation approach could benefit them, ADEME published a collection of experiences four companies in France and Canada, varying in size. These include Rockwinds, a small cocoa trading company, as well as Vinci Autoroutes, an international group. ADEME will repeat the process in 2020, with a call for expressions of interest (AMI) to help finance experiments on climate change adaptation. The organizations selected will receive support from a specialized consulting firm.

In the first collection of experiences, Vinci Autoroutes describes how it put the concept of resilience into practice. In 2016, the A10 motorway, which it manages under concession, had to be closed for ten days due to torrential rain. Nearly 300 people were mobilized to reopen it. The episode was a wake-up call for the company, which launched a fundamental review to limit the long-term economic damage caused by extreme weather events. To anticipate the risk of landslides associated with clay shrinkage and swelling, the company plans to install ground sensors. It also intends to use a tool to assess the premature aging of structures.

In addition to addressing resilience, ISO 14090 adjusts the main principles specific to the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards. "The objective," explains Céline Phillips, a specialist in this field at ADEME and member of the international working group on ISO 14090, "is now to identify, prepare for, and manage the impacts of climate change. This involves deploying best practices, improving performance by adapting the management system, and creating an organizational culture that is committed to a continuous cycle of self-assessment, correction, and improvement. In short, it means learning to anticipate without delay. In concrete terms, this involves drawing up an action plan specifying the implementation schedule, monitoring, evaluation, and communication.

Adapting to climate change: risks, but also opportunities

ISO 14090 is a framework standard that will be adapted to specific situations. A methodology for diagnosis (ISO 14091) and planning (ISO 14092) intended for local authorities should be published shortly. For its part, the European Committee for Standardization plans to take climate change adaptation into account in several sectoral standards: energy, transport, and construction. Notable examples include NF EN 50125-1 of July 2014 on railway applications and NF EN 16798-5-1 of August 2017 on the energy performance of buildings.

Let's also look at the positive side of things: this dynamic of adaptation not only prevents or minimizes potential damage, but also allows us to take advantage of opportunities that may arise. According to a report by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) published in June 2019, a group of large companies estimates that climate risks will cost them around $1 trillion... but will also enable them to reap potential gains of twice that amount by marketing new products and services! This is yet another argument to encourage interested organizations to jump on the voluntary standardization bandwagon.