As part of undertaking any assessment, it is important to identify and document the elements of a system or portfolio that may be vulnerable to the impacts of climate-related hazards. This process should be holistic and systematic to ensure critical elements are not mistakenly excluded from the PIEVC HLSG assessment. Of course, the final elements of a particular risk assessment will differ depending on the scale, geographic context and assets owned, operated and/or managed that are of interest. For example, at a municipal level, one could envision aligning these elements under assessment with the services provided to residents across the municipality as well as other elements that are particularly important for providing a continued level of service under climate change and extreme weather events.
The following describes categories of elements that may be assessed. Risk assessment leads are encouraged to review and identify those that may be particularly relevant based on their local geographic contexts and stakeholder perspectives.
Asset Category
Example
Built Infrastructure
Buildings, Transportation Infrastructure, Energy and Electrical Infrastructure, Water Resources and Drainage, Water Supply, Treatment, Communication Infrastructure, Infrastructure, etc.
Natural Environment
Green Infrastructure, Soils, Tree Canopy, Bioswales, etc.
Natural Systems
Natural Assets
People
Includes all employees of an organization, also includes contractors, vendors, clients, customers, and other people that the organization chooses to classify in this category. In general, the term includes internal and external stakeholders of the organization that may be directly affected by the organization’s risks and adaptation measures.
Element (Asset, Element, Sub Elements) should be summarized and included in the left hand column in the Risk Assessment Worksheet.
