Review of the climate risk and opportunity assessment practices in 11 jurisdictions

The purpose of a climate risk and opportunity assessment is to identify, analyze and evaluate the risks to a defined area and its communities by examining climate information, vulnerabilities and potential consequences in the current and future climate. Note that although opportunities that may arise due to climate change are not yet systematically included in this type of assessment (therefore more commonly called “climate change risk assessments” or CCRA), for this review the term and acronym “CROA” is used to better describe the scope of the study.

A national climate risk and opportunity assessment:

• Provides a national overview, using the best available information and evidence, of how an area may be affected by various hazards and threats caused, exacerbated or influenced by climate change, as well as the resulting risks and opportunities, 

• Helps decision-makers better understand the wide range of risks their area will face and which risks to address as a priority,

• Guides priorities for adaptation programs at different levels of government, and supports a strategic approach to the adaptation of businesses and communities ,

• Establish a baseline against which future assessments can be measured.

• The wide variety of CROAs is related to the fact that there is no systematic framework for conducting a CROA at the jurisdictional level. Most jurisdictions (9 out of 11) follow the framework provided by the ISO 31000:2018 and ISO 14090:2019 standards. However, the methodology and comprehensiveness of CROAs are often tailored to the objectives, desired scope and available resources, so the level of detail varies greatly from one CROA to another. 

• Two key elements — the governance of the CROA, including the political will, and the definition of objectives and scope — have a direct influence on four determining criteria: 

  • The methodological approach

  • Stakeholder engagement

  • The assessment scale, and 

  • The resources available 

These four criteria in turn influence the level of detail of the CROAs, their format, and the dissemination of the results.

An appendix with a summary for each jurisdiction provides an overview of the different CROAs based on the four determinant criteria, as well as the highlights, advantages and disadvantages of the approach, and the success factors to carry out a CROA.

712000