Specialized Consulting
Climate Risk and Resilience
Innovative, Informed, Implementable
TRC has earned a distinguished reputation helping clients assess risks and build resilience
Climate Change threatens communities and clients by introducing new climate-related risks and/or exacerbating existing ones, therefore requiring innovative evaluations and responses that build resilience into systems and organizations. TRC has established a leading Climate Risk and Resilience capability that specializes in assessing climate vulnerability and risk, evaluating and prioritizing adaptation strategies, and producing implementable and actionable climate plans for our clients. We work at the forefront of the state-of-practice using the most current climate data, assessment techniques and methods, financial cost estimates, strategy verification and performance metrics to provide informed and implementable solutions.
Climate Risk and Resilience services are supported by TRC’s deep technical and implementation capabilities in the US and globally. In addition, we established the TRC Climate Resilience Center which focuses on data-driven learning, best practices and information exchange.
Advising Investors & Companies
Climate Risk Due Diligence
TRC has developed our Climate and Physical Rapid Risk Screening Tool that we customize for each client. This evaluation identifies which physical hazards pose the greatest risk to physical assets today and under future climate conditions. If available, financial and other critical information may be used to inform the implications of identified risks to the facilities and business continuity.
Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures
The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is a leading framework for how companies should disclose information about the risks and opportunities posed by climate change. Our TCFD methodology is grounded in robust, defensible and informative analyses using multiple climate scenarios. Our products provide a detailed understanding of climate-related physical and transition risks/opportunities with quantified financial impacts, which can then be used to reduce or mitigate the risks and create value.
Advising a Wide Range of Industries: From Utilities, Transportation Agencies and Water Authorities to Communities
Community Action Plans
TRC conducts climate vulnerability and risk assessments to evaluate systems, assets and populations at risk today and into the future under a changing climate, while leveraging geospatial data and GIS to illustrate exposure and risks. These assessments inform climate action plans and provide a roadmap of implementable strategies and actions to reduce these risks and build resilience. Through this work, we engage stakeholders through public surveys, newsletters, meetings and presentations.
Organizational Resilience
Resilience can be built into an organization’s governance, policies, plans, procedures, staffing and facilities to strengthen organizational resilience. An assessment typically identifies: (1) where an organization has already begun to implement strategies that are also best practices in climate resilience; (2) opportunities to expand, extend or accelerate climate resilience; and (3) gaps where new strategies or policy updates may be needed to address climate risks. From there, we advise on investments, new development, infrastructure projects, and other initiatives to build an organization’s resilience to climate change. Throughout the process, we remain actively engaged with the organization to ensure our approach and recommendations align with their day-to-day operations.
Transportation and Utilities
Working closely with clients, TRC assesses which assets are vulnerable and at risk to climate change. Next, we prioritize the risks and identify implementable strategies based on costs, effectiveness and co-benefits. Then we create a plan of action for near- and long-term implementation and performance metrics to evaluate success. We recommend this plan be updated every five years.
Resilient Engineering
An asset should be assessed within the system it resides, that is, by understanding the localized environmental conditions and potential changes in landscape over time that may amplify or dampen the climate risk. TRC applies our in-house tools—Climate Data Processing Model (CDaP), Climate and Physical Rapid Risk Screening Tool, and AnalyzEJ, along with our experience in performing benefit cost analyses and assessing financial and socioeconomic concerns. The results include defensible recommendations that build climate resilience into assets over their lifetime. In addition, TRC’s Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SP) assess sustainability, resilience and equity in civil infrastructure to create climate-ready projects with long-term viability.
Environmental and Climate Justice
Our staff’s strategic and regulatory expertise and experience allows us to provide recommendations and suggest options for addressing Environmental Justice issues for consideration. We help clients proactively identify potentially sensitive issues. From community assessments and culturally competent stakeholder engagement to project impacts analyses, we are well-equipped with data, GIS mapping and community understanding to mobilize projects meeting both business and stakeholder needs.
Environmental Remediation
Awareness of climate change impacts on remediation projects has increased the need to ensure remedial strategies will remain effective and protective against a future of more frequent extreme weather. Climate change can challenge the integrity of remediation engineering controls and result in power outages to critical systems, which can cause the potential release of hazardous materials or covered contaminants into the environment. Drawing from decades of experience, TRC’s Environmental Construction and Remediation Group, along with our Climate Resilience experts, can develop site-specific strategies to mitigate potential future climate risks and protect against unnecessary and costly clean-up.
Looking for effective climate resilience consulting solutions?
Turn to the experts at TRC.