3/1/24, 8:01 PM ISO - Assessing the risk of climate change

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Assessing the risk of climate change
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Being able to adapt to climate change effectively entails knowing your risks and
vulnerabilities. A new standard for risk assessment has just joined the ISO climate
adaptation series.
 3 minutes to read

Clare Naden
Climate change Environment ISO 14000 family

Published on 17 February 2021

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3/1/24, 8:01 PM ISO - Assessing the risk of climate change

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Climate change is one of the biggest headaches for many businesses, with the resulting
extreme weather, loss of biodiversity and environmental disasters topping the World
Economic Forum’s list of global risks that we all need to be concerned about.
While implementing actions to mitigate climate change is essential, organizations still
need to take steps to adapt. Understanding and assessing their risks and vulnerabilities
is a key element of that.
ISO 14091, Adaptation to climate change – Guidelines on vulnerability, impacts and risk
assessment, describes how to understand an organization’s vulnerability and how to
develop and implement a sound risk assessment in the context of climate change. It can
be used for assessing both present and future climate change risks.
The standard provides guidance on the use of screening assessments and impact
chains, allowing for qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Having such information – and being able to document it in an internationally agreed way
– helps organizations of all kinds and sizes make better business decisions. It is also a
useful tool for climate-related reporting.
ISO 14091 is the latest in the emerging family of standards on climate change adaptation
that sit under the umbrella of ISO 14090, Adaptation to climate change – Principles,
requirements and guidelines. ISO 14090 describes the many elements of climate change
adaptation, including pre-planning, adaptation planning, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation, and reporting and communication.
Others in the family include technical specification ISO/TS 14092, Adaptation to climate
change – Requirements and guidance on adaptation planning for local governments and
communities, and future standards ISO 14093, Mechanism for financing local adaptation
to climate change: Performance-based climate resilience grants, and ISO 14097, a
framework for assessing and reporting investments and financing activities related to
climate change.
All of these standards are the work of ISO subcommittee SC 7, Greenhouse gas
management and related activities, of ISO technical committee
ISO/TC 207, Environmental management. Its secretariat is held jointly by SAC, ISO’s
member for China, and SCC, ISO’s member for Canada. They can be purchased from
your national ISO member or the ISO Store.

Related information
ISO/TC 207/SC 7
Visit the technical committee’s own Website for more information.

25 June 2020
ISO’s climate-smart future for local governments and communities
From droughts to floods, rising seas to extreme weathers, communities
around the world are already experiencing increased climate impacts.
These pose threats to life, property, economic well-being and …
Standards
ISO 14091:2021
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 Adaptation to climate change
3/1/24, 8:01 PM ISO - Assessing the risk of climate change

Guidelines on vulnerability, impacts and risk assessment

ISO/TS 14092:2020
Adaptation to climate change
Requirements and guidance on adaptation planning for local governments and
communities
ISO 14093:2022
Mechanism for financing local adaptation to climate change
Performance-based climate resilience grants
Requirements and guidelines
ISO 14097:2021
Greenhouse gas management and related activities
Framework including principles and requirements for assessing and reporting
investments and financing activities related to climate change
Committees
ISO/TC 207/SC 7
Greenhouse gas and climate change management and related activities

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