Background info Climate Change Adaptation

The climate is changing, despite mitigation efforts. The EU is already facing unavoidable impacts. Effective adaptation actions can reduce overall damage costs, save lives and natural and human assets. An EU-wide framework will support adaptation measures that have to be designed and applied locally. European Standardization Organizations (ESOs) are asked to identify standards relevant for adaptation to climate change.

These focus on three priority sectors:

• Transport infrastructure;
• Energy infrastructure;
• Buildings/construction.

Workshop – informative content

This workshop is addressed to the European and national standards makers and stakeholders in the sector Energy Infrastructure.

The workshop will provide current information, expert assessment and discussion.

The EC wants to ensure that the framework is suitable for the needs of the stakeholders. This workshop is a way to get your voice heard.

This workshop will:

• inform you about the effects of climate change and experiences with adaptation in various sectors. This will encourage cross sectorial awareness and use of successstories on adjustment of standards;
• actively involve you in the first phase of adaptation of standardization; you will be encouraged to think about and deal with the standardization need respected to the climate change adaptation deepened; and
• will bring you in discussions with all participants. Jointly you will prepare inputs on standardization needs and prioritization.

The results from the workshops are essential input for the Climate Change Adaptation standardization work programme. Among the results will be:

• additional standardization needs;
• proposal for first selection of standardization needs and initiatives including their justification;
• prioritization criteria for standardization initiatives.

Scope workshop Energy Infrastructure

The changing climate will cause several major impacts on energy infrastructure, such as vulnerability to flooding, to severe storms and extreme weather patterns, i.e. long high and low temperature peaks, strong rain and snow falls, extreme ice phenomena.

Of course, availability of data for climate scenarii is a significant challenge for the anticipation of impacts then designing appropriate adaptation strategies.

The scope of the workshop will mainly cover 3 major energy sectors: Electricity, Gas and Heating & Cooling. In addition, ICT related infrastructure will be considered.