The EU-CIRCLE methodological framework sets out the project’s approach on how to assess possible climate change impacts to the operation and capacity of a country’s critical infrastructure and to identify and develop appropriate adaptation measures to strengthen the operational resilience of the respective CI.

The framework is shown in the figure above. The approach builds on the selection and application of appropriate modelling tools that allows users to evaluate climate related impacts to CI operations and subsequently on society, and define adequate responses focusing on technical aspects (e.g., modifying the design of infrastructures to make them more resistant to an increased intensity of floods), policy and legal elements (e.g., new building codes), financial aspects (e.g., specific funds allocated to support the maintenance of infrastructure), socioeconomic aspects (e.g., relocation or abandonment of infrastructures, change in habits and behavioural patterns associated with the use of infrastructures) and institutional aspects (e.g., awareness raising and capacity building of the infrastructure sector on climate adaptation).

It allows relevant stakeholders to interact in an interoperable manner, in order to address a common policy objective and/or a business decision as shown in the figure below.

Detailed framework of the EU-CIRCLE procedures showing the stakeholders involvement (brown:hazard modelers, blue:climatologists, green:public stakeholders, yellow:risk modelers, purple: CI operators)

The methodological framework shown in the figure below will guide the development of the Climate Infrastructure Resilience Platform (CIRP) and will provide a step by step guide on how to use the research outcomes of EU-CIRCLE in the assessment of climate change risks and in the development of adaptation policies for critical infrastructure and their services.

EU-CIRCLE methodological framework

The methodology developed is closely related to a number of initiatives within the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction such as:

  • improving risk understanding – hazard characterization

  • exposure and vulnerability analysis

  • risk assessment

  • improving institutional capacity on disaster risk reduction

  • strengthening Early Warning Systems

  • supporting multi-hazard management decisions

  • contribute to capacity building for addressing extreme events

  • supporting decisions on building new, strengthen or expand existing CIs

View all outputs from this work package

D1.4 Report on Detailed Methodological Framework (initial version)

D1.5 Report on Detailed Methodological Framework (final version)