Building Climate Resilient Infrastructure: A Multi-Level Adaptation Framework.

The Need for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

Critical infrastructure (CI) is necessary for modern societies to operate and develop. This includes having functional transportation (roads, railroads, inland waterways), energy (electricity, gas), telecommunications, healthcare, and educational systems. CI is exposed to climate hazards which place it at risk of damage and failure, especially within the context of a rapidly changing climate. A framework to consistently compare climate adaptation measures to support decision-making is therefore necessary.  

Four Levels of Climate Adaptation

MIRACA is an EU Horizon project that aims to catalyze and empower the implementation of adaptation measures in Europe by providing climate risk and adaptation appraisal methods, and underlying data tailored to critical infrastructure in a multi-hazard context. Within the MIRACA adaptation framework, four distinct levels of adaptation are proposed, which operate at different scales, involve diverse stakeholders, and present a variety of benefits and barriers for adoption. These adaptation levels they can be summarized as follows: 

1. Hazard-Level Adaptation: Reducing the threat at its source  

Hazard-level adaptation focuses on reducing the intensity or severity of hazards. This includes building dikes and levees, but also nature-based solutions, such as afforestation and the creation of retention and infiltration areas to reduce flooding downstream.  

Barriers to adaptation: These adaptations often include large-scale infrastructure projects, putting them beyond the reach of infrastructure owners and operators. They are generally led by governmental actors a nd often favour areas with high economic value over equitable social welfare. They are often economically efficient since they can reduce the risk for many assets through a single adaptation, but do not consider the entirety of CI systems, which are often located outside of the economic hotspots, including suburban and rural areas. 

2. Asset-Level Adaptation: Strengthening individual infrastructure components  

Asset-level adaptation enhances the resilience of physical infrastructure assets, such as road segments and rail tracks, stations, bridges, and tunnels. These adaptations include conforming to more stringent design or construction requirements and are implemented by infrastructure owners and asset managers based on existing policy and the risk assets are exposed to. 

Barriers to adaptation: Retrofitting existing assets can come at a high cost and often competes with the development of new infrastructure. When assets are damaged, reestablishing service for users as swiftly as possible can lead to repairing or rebuilding assets as they were, without improving their resilience to the hazard that resulted in damage. 

3. Network-Level Adaptation: Improving Connectivity and Redundancy 

Network-level adaptation involves changing the network topology to improve redundancy and resilience. This includes building new connections between network elements that allow it to continue operating even if some elements fail. These adaptations can target the most critical elements of the network which, if impaired, cause the biggest fallout. These interventions are implemented by infrastructure owners and asset managers, informed by infrastructure operators.  

Barriers to adaptation: Identifying the most critical elements in a network in the context of multiple hazards requires careful consideration; the most critical elements of the network are not necessarily the most likely to fail due to climate hazards. Furthermore, networks often span multiple jurisdictions and involve different infrastructure owners and operators.  

4. System-Level Adaptation: Adapting Operations and Expectations  

System-level adaptation focuses on changing the way systems are used (temporarily or permanently) or the requirements the system is expected to meet with relation to society. This includes, for example, early warning systems, changes in inventory management by freight users to tolerate disruptions in commodity supply chains, and the establishment of business continuity plans which enable sourcing commodities from other suppliers in case of route disruptions. 

Barriers to adaptation: There is significant resistance to changing the way systems are used, since it often requires additional resources to accommodate. For example, increasing inventories at a factory may require more storage space and arranging alternate supply chains can be time-consuming and costly, especially if different technologies are required to manage it.  

A Holistic Approach to Climate Resilience.

This framework emphasizes the importance of a multi-faceted approach to climate change adaptation, addressing the complexities of critical infrastructure and the need for stakeholder engagement. By considering these levels of adaptation and the barriers present, the framework supports the development of robust and cost-effective strategies that enhance the resilience of Europe’s critical infrastructure against climate-related hazards.  

Including adaptations that are relevant and actionable to all stakeholders aims to facilitate dialogue among them, enabling inclusive dialogue and consensus-building by providing a common framework to work around, despite the complexity of the stakeholder field and their individual priorities.  

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Author:

Daniel Peregrina, PhD Candidate – Climate Adaptation Critical Infrastructure at Deltares.