(3) Insurers should encourage companies to disclose climate risks and their
responses to promote better understanding, and enhance adaptation initiatives
by both infrastructure insurers and investors.
(4) Insurers being also investors, they should include climate resilience in their own
investment portfolios.
10.3.8 Engineering Sector
The engineering sector has a major part in developing national infrastructure welladapted to climate change challenges, which vary along a wide range:
(1) A challenging future climate may require changes to present infrastructure for it
to continue functioning properly.
(2) Different rainfall patterns and temperatures will require new designs for new
infrastructure.
(3) The impacts of failure resulting from severe weather should be reduced through
engineering solutions.
(4) Infrastructure should be planned, designed, built and monitored in order to
provide climate resilience at minimum cost.
(5) Design practices should be upgraded and developed to improve infrastructure
resilience, of both assets and networks.
10.3.9 Research Community
The present knowledge on climate risks, design criteria, and behaviour of infrastructure under severe climatic conditions is incomplete. It is essential that the research
community, the private sector and the policy makers form research teams to investigate suitable themes including infrastructure and environmental change.
10.3.10 The Cost of Infrastructure Adaptation
Hughes et al. (2010) found that infrastructure adaptation to climate change need not
cost more than 1–2% of the total cost of infrastructure provision. This seems
acceptable, as this adaptation cost is small compared to other factors that may affect
infrastructure costs in the future. However, although geotechnical studies are also
supposed to cost 1–2% of the cost of a project, yet quite often, it is found that project
failure is attributed to a complete absence of geotechnical studies, or to an incomplete study.
However, it must be noted that infrastructure adaptation to climate variations will
not:
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responses to promote better understanding, and enhance adaptation initiatives
by both infrastructure insurers and investors.
(4) Insurers being also investors, they should include climate resilience in their own
investment portfolios.
10.3.8 Engineering Sector
The engineering sector has a major part in developing national infrastructure welladapted to climate change challenges, which vary along a wide range:
(1) A challenging future climate may require changes to present infrastructure for it
to continue functioning properly.
(2) Different rainfall patterns and temperatures will require new designs for new
infrastructure.
(3) The impacts of failure resulting from severe weather should be reduced through
engineering solutions.
(4) Infrastructure should be planned, designed, built and monitored in order to
provide climate resilience at minimum cost.
(5) Design practices should be upgraded and developed to improve infrastructure
resilience, of both assets and networks.
10.3.9 Research Community
The present knowledge on climate risks, design criteria, and behaviour of infrastructure under severe climatic conditions is incomplete. It is essential that the research
community, the private sector and the policy makers form research teams to investigate suitable themes including infrastructure and environmental change.
10.3.10 The Cost of Infrastructure Adaptation
Hughes et al. (2010) found that infrastructure adaptation to climate change need not
cost more than 1–2% of the total cost of infrastructure provision. This seems
acceptable, as this adaptation cost is small compared to other factors that may affect
infrastructure costs in the future. However, although geotechnical studies are also
supposed to cost 1–2% of the cost of a project, yet quite often, it is found that project
failure is attributed to a complete absence of geotechnical studies, or to an incomplete study.
However, it must be noted that infrastructure adaptation to climate variations will
not:
294
10 Climate Change and Infrastructure