At the end of September, Linsey Jensen, Engagement and Sustainability Associate at Greenleaf Advisors and Communities, attended Climate Week NYC.
One message cut across New York Climate Week: as climate risks accelerate, resiliency is the baseline for projects that want to move forward. Global temperatures are now expected to reach 1.8 to 2 degrees Celsius in a best-case scenario, well past the 1.5 degree goal. That puts added pressure on mitigation and underscores the need for resilient systems and infrastructure as climate impacts intensify.
Facing accelerating change means:
- Resiliency is a condition of insurability and bankability, not a side conversation. Projects that cannot show resiliency in their plan will struggle to find financial footing as climate risks mount.
- Complex risks should be considered at the start of a project.
- Knowing where to look matters. Reliable, accurate data is imperative to sustainable development.
- High Impact projects with co-benefits need to be pursued and prioritized. Project Drawdown’s Jonathan Foley presented on supercharging climate solutions that work and are more impactful (shown below).
To assess the risks and resiliency to infrastructure projects (such as data centers) it is important to:
- Screen current and future hotspots: Site selection requires diligent analysis of current risks and future ones, including risks the development itself can amplify.
- Ex. If a site sits on former farmland near a river. Today’s flood maps show moderate risk, but heavier projected rainfall, plus vegetation and soil disrupted by construction, would push runoff and flooding well beyond that.
- Quantify catastrophes: Quantifying losses is a tool to prioritize where capital goes and to ensure infrastructure has long-term viability.
- Ex. Modeling a major flood estimates equipment damage, downtime, and repair costs, which can be weighed against the cost of protection.
- Resiliency strategies: Once risks are identified and quantified, strategies are needed to address them efficiently and effectively. This is where adaptation planning comes in.
- Ex. Raise critical equipment above projected flood levels, add stormwater retention, and preserve the vegetation and soil that absorb water.
- Risk reduction and risk transfer: With the knowledge of the first three stages informed decisions can be made to implement the adaptation planning or to choose a lower-risk site.
- Ex. Build the flood protections or select a site with higher ground.
How We See Our Partners Playing a Role:
Earth Knowledge brings decades of leadership in climate, weather, hydrology, and Earth systems science. Their approach combines a digital twin of the Earth with world-class science to model change sooner, giving greater confidence to act on risk earlier and build resilience.
In a time when resiliency is in demand and the right data is hard to find, Earth Knowledge offers a transparent and rigorous approach to:
- Physical asset risk assessment
- Regulatory compliance
- Risk analysis and forecasting data for finance
- Wildfire and water management
- Disaster and emergency preparedness
- Data partnerships and insight services
Nature Outcome Agreement Areas are a framework for decision-making, accountability, and collaboration within a delineated space where Indigenous Peoples, communities, governments, and resource sectors commit to shared and measurable conservation outcomes. This Canadian-based project, under development, is an adaptive approach to conservation with many co-benefits:
- Indigenous leadership
- Cooperative land development
- Stewardship practices that reduce the risk of wildfires
- Protection of ecosystems
- Conserving spaces vital for the carbon cycle
- Potential to count toward Canada’s 30 x 2030 goals (conserve 30% of the land and oceans by 2030)
- Resiliency needs accurate data and risk assessments, along with preserving our natural environments, to encourage adaptation and mitigation.
Greenleaf Advisors and Greenleaf Communities are committed to supporting projects that take innovative approaches to create a sustainable future for generations.