Abstract Manager

In this presentation, the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (CCCS) at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) will present on an emerging practice in the use of climate data. Climate Risk Assessments, such as the PIEVC protocol and associated High Level Screening Guide, have always made use of user-defined hazard categories. Those hazards are quantified in terms of how their probability of occurrence will change from past to future. As risk assessments become more widespread, the concept of grouping hazards into categories that are relevant across several aspects of a decision is being used more broadly.

In particular, the release of guideline B-15 on Climate Risk Management in March 2023, which requires all federally regulated financial institutions to disclose climate risks, is leading to an intense focus on hazard mapping. In this presentation, the concepts of hazard mapping and how it can facilitate the use of future climate projections for risk assessment and adaptation planning will be described. The presentation will highlight the use of this approach in the PIEVC High Level Screening Guide climate risk assessment on the TAC Geometric Design Guide as an example of this emerging practice. In that case, the hazards categories considered were winter conditions, freshets, rain, wind, hail and lightning (thunderstorms), heat, drought, forest fires, as well as rising oceans and storm surge. To address these hazards required consideration of 20 different climate parameters from 2 different online data portals as some additional climate impact summary reports. 

In addition to providing a summary of using climate hazards and data in this way for risk assessment, other emerging activities and tools in this area will also be described.