ICSI publishes Climate Resilient Infrastructure Report: A focus on implementation
ICSI is delighted to have published the first issue of a new annual publication, The Climate Resilient Infrastructure Report: A focus on implementation.
Systemic problems require systemic solutions; the collective challenge of climate change demands a radical, collaborative approach to problem-solving that spans sectors, geographies, and disciplines. This kind of approach will help to bridge divides between practitioners, communities, and governments, and catalyse key actors into moving forward on adaptation and mitigation measures. The Climate Resilient Infrastructure Report is the first in a series of annual publications to report progress on the implementation of climate resilient infrastructure and to showcase curated best-practice case studies and initiatives from around the world that have the potential to deliver change at scale and at pace.
From exemplary participatory processes to new and innovative ways to harness technology for sustainable development, these case studies each demonstrate ways to deliver solutions for infrastructure that work to uplift nature instead of dominate it, put human wellbeing at their core, and build climate resilience and adaptation. Forming part of ICSI’s contribution to the Race to Resilience campaign, the report also highlights where featured case studies meet Race to Resilience targets and outcomes of the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda.
In her foreword for the publication, Marcia Toledo Sotillo, Director of Adaptation & Resilience at the High-Level Climate Champions, said:
‘ICSI’s leadership brings forward the global solutions that can be adopted at a local level to respond to local climate contexts, needs and risks, and to deliver the transformation in critical infrastructure systems required to protect vulnerable communities to the rising climate hazards... This publication highlights the remarkable efforts of practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders in advancing sustainable infrastructure systems. It serves as a source of inspiration to remind us that together, through collective action, we can build a resilient world capable of withstanding the impacts of the climate crisis.’
The publication also highlights knowledge-sharing and capacity-building activities that can accelerate the uptake of tools, resources, and skills for advancing sustainable and resilient infrastructure in communities across the world, as well as collaborative initiatives that are holistic, transferable, and inclusive at their core. The hope is that these can all serve as guidance and inspiration for others, emboldening key stakeholders to enact change and serving as a blueprint for climate-compatible, people-centred transformations in infrastructure.
Contributors to the report include Arcadis, Arup, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), Conservation International, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Oris, Public Utilities Corporation, Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Stantec, the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership, UK Aid, UN Environment Programme, and WSP.
The report also seeks to mobilise the engineering community towards action, recognising them as custodians of the built environment and well-positioned to make an impact beyond the engineering industry, to influence policy and planning, and to become leaders on climate action.
‘These case studies exemplify the salience of sustainability and resilience in the built environment and serve as a beacon of hope that we are steadily and collectively steering the industry in the right direction,’ says Savina Carluccio, Executive Director at ICSI. ‘The engineering community is bursting with the talent and technical skill needed to green our world’s infrastructure and to make it resilient enough to withstand and recover from climate impacts… Our hope is that by showcasing and championing the projects at the helm of this shift, others will be inspired to act similarly in their approach to building infrastructure that is sustainable, resilient and rooted in inclusivity.‘
