Author: loren.blundell@iscouncil.org

This year, much like the start of 2020, has been a confrontation of crises. This year New Zealand’s north experienced extreme rainfall causing widespread flooding events just days apart, with Cyclone Gabrielle following in quick succession. Ex-tropical cyclone Ellie wreaked havoc in the Kimberley with hundreds of people living in multigenerational homes now homeless. Emergency response was hampered with the remote region cutoff as a result of significant damage to the sections of Great Northern Highway and Fitzroy Crossing.

While each event was devastating in its own right, and a national state of emergency called, the cumulative impact on infrastructure has left communities crippled.

Flooding and landslips closed rail lines and major roads, inundated buildings and left many suburbs without critical services. Widespread power outages meant gaping holes in the communications network, and back-up batteries in many cell sites failed within hours and days. The transport and telecommunications network collapsed and connectivity with impacted loved ones left a wake of not only devastation but an equal measure of distress.

Another vivid demonstration of the compounding impact of extreme weather events on infrastructure and another resounding call to arms. Even with urgent action to address climate change, extreme weather events will continue to become more frequent. And while it’s important to improve our response to these events, we must prepare better for them – starting now.

Our infrastructure must enable greater resilience and support communities withstand the next weather events, which will increase in intensity. That means changing how we have traditionally planned, designed and constructed for gradual change. We also need to operate assets responsively for more rapid recovery.

In the face of fire, flood and other natural disasters, infrastructure is key to community resilience. This is also true for human-induced catastrophes.

Infrastructure does more than provide us with essential services. It also connects us—physically through transport networks and virtually through communication networks. Infrastructure enables people to thrive – it is the very foundation of resilience.

But infrastructure systems are intrinsically entwined with natural systems. And climate change affects them all. These systems are now poised to interact in new and sometimes unexpected ways.

Crisis exposes vulnerability and inequity. It can also be a catalyst for positive change. The recently-released AR6 Synthesis Report, authored by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shows our journey of insufficient action and a pathway to increasingly dire outcomes.

The time to act is now.

With commitments and targets in place, there are 81 months to deliver substantial reductions in emissions. There will be difficult choices to accelerate emission reduction for the future and balance how we meet demands of today. This requires consideration of outcomes at the outset of planning new infrastructure and paying greater attention to valuing our aging infrastructure.

As we reduce emissions, and increase resilience enabled by infrastructure, its time to look back and learn. Question what has been done in the past and take heed of approaches that no longer serve us.

We step into this difficult phase, understanding that economies will be challenged with higher inflation and considerable uncertainty. Its time to adjust the collective risk appetite as our shared responsibility and take action for today and tomorrow.

 

Ainsley Simpson
Chief Executive Officer
Infrastructure Sustainability Council

To accelerate the eradication of modern slavery from infrastructure supply chains.

The ISC Modern Slavery Coalition was established in 2019 in response to the introduction of the Australian Modern Slavery Act. This coalition aims to accelerate the eradication of modern slavery from infrastructure’s supply chains by shifting industry from a place of reactive compliance to one of transformational leadership.

The International Labour Organisation estimates there are over 40 million victims of modern slavery globally. Modern slavery includes a range of severe exploitive practices, including slavery; servitude; forced labour; debt bondage; abuse of vulnerability and other means for the purpose of exploitation. Of the estimated 40 million victims, 25 million people were victims of forced labour of which 18% are in the construction sector.

Current members of the ISC Modern Slavery Coalition

Alexander Coward – Director, Pillar Two (co-chair)

Sebastian Conley – Sustainable Procurement Manager (co-chair)

Sara Lindqvist – Sustainability Manager, Downer Group

Christopher Bourne – Senior Manager, Environment and Sustainability, ACCIONA

Jim Green – General Manager Strategic Procurement, John Holland Group

Anderson Camargo – Sustainability Manager, Ventia

Ramon Dobb – National Procurement Manager

Join the ISC Modern Slavery Coalition

The Modern Slavery Coalition is very keen to hear from any ISC member that might be interested in joining the group. The Coalition meets approximately every six weeks and works together to raise awareness, build capability and deliver positive impact toward the ultimate goal of the eradication of Modern Slavery. Email us (info@iscouncil.org) for further information.

Click here to register your interest in joining the Modern Slavery Coalition today.

 

To accelerate climate action in every town, city and region through a place-based approach.

The cities and regions in which we live, work and play are as unique and diverse as we are as individuals – no two are the same. While we are all working towards a common global goal of positive climate action, how that is delivered from place-to-place needs to be responsive to the specific context, strengths and vulnerabilities of those communities – particularly if we want to leave a lasting positive legacy.

Infrastructure has a leading role to play in delivering climate action. Infrastructure enables up to 70 per cent of emissions through the way we plan, design, build and use infrastructure assets. This coalition will progress a systemic, networked approach to accelerating decarbonisation focused on towns, cities and regions rather than leveraging the knowledge and work undertaken at an asset, sector and material level.

This may include:

• Convening and leveraging existing knowledge, expertise and resources in the sector to lead placed based approaches to climate action for every town, city and region.
• Progress the principles and frameworks outlined in Placed-based Approach to Climate Action which includes:
  • Collaboration between governments, industry, business and communities is needed across powers; partnerships; platforms (data); and people.
  • Integrated, systemic and collaborative governance that plays to the unique strength and influence of each actor.
  • Is built on the principles of placed-based approaches; co-design; systems approach and innovation.
• Identify and partner with pilot places to support acceleration of placed-based approaches while sharing learnings and insights for others to scale.

To accelerate the transition to circular business models and economies in infrastructure.

Minimising raw material extraction, avoiding waste and halting pollution are crucial strategies for achieving net zero emissions and stemming nature loss.

A key mechanism in achieving this is a systemic transition to a circular economy supply chain that maintains the quality, availability and value of a wide variety of used resources through recycling, logistical and re-use processes that work efficiently and effectively for the infrastructure sector. As such, there has been a lot of work locally and globally to accelerate the transition to circular economy. Much of this focus has been on developing innovative approaches to materials and resources e.g. waste management, products, recycled content sorting, processing and manufacturing.

This coalition compliments and aligns with existing progress and initiatives to focus on the ‘economy’ of circular economy looking at how to integrate the infrastructure network of systems to drive circularity through circular business models and local economies.

This may include:

• Understanding and sharing what is a circular vs linear business model for infrastructure including examples from other sectors.
• Understanding and recommending key points in the value chain and/or economic levers (e.g. business case, investment, procurement, development, decommissioning) in which a circular economy framework can be embedded and how to do that.
• What are the economic metrics and indicators of circular management and success.
• How can circular economy support and enable the broader industry reform agenda (e.g. collaborative contracting models).

To accelerate systemic resilience so that infrastructure can enable thriving lifestyles, communities and nations, now and into the future.

There is an increased focus on resilience and adaptive capacity across society, economy and the built environment, particularly in the wake of early climate change impacts and COVID-19. It is becoming increasingly common for resilience planning to be undertaken at the asset and local government levels incorporating placed-base approaches and stakeholder involvement.

The challenge remains how we consider resilience and adaptive capacity in a systemic way – not only in consideration of additive and cascading risks and impacts; but also by embedding resilience through the supply chain; from investors, asset owners, users and suppliers.

Resilience in infrastructure is not just about protecting the built forms but ensuring that the service the asset provides will remain flexible, agile and resilient through the shocks and changes of the coming century:

• Understanding, defining and measuring systems versus asset resilience.
• Understanding the asset and associated levels of service required from infrastructure to enable communities to thrive (and not just survive) during the next century.
• Aligning financial drivers (e.g. investment, insurance) to better reflect the risk, costs and opportunities associated with shocks and changes across the 21st Century.
• Exploring the systemic considerations of additive and cascading risks and impacts which may impact and/or require adaption.
• Exploring the “business model” of new and emerging types of infrastructure that provide a resilience service e.g. blue/ green infrastructure.

 

The ISC has launched three new coalitions bringing together the best and brightest minds to address the important issues facing our industry at this time.

Each coalition will work over a three-year period to define the issue, design practical and dynamic solutions, and deploy a toolkit for implementation. These coalitions will create a lasting legacy on the industry and showcase your contribution towards the global sustainability climate change goals.

Why should you be involved?

ISC Member Coalitions provide an opportunity for your organisation to be a part of the solution to some of the biggest challenges facing the Industry in regards to climate change. Not only do you have a seat at the table to shape and deliver tangible actions but the coalitions create business opportunities.

Compliance

• Being a part of a coalition provides evidence of your organisation working towards ESG goals.

Commitment

• Joining a coalition show your stakeholders and shareholder that you are committed to addressing climate change and are being proactive in your approach.
• Stakeholders are interested how your organisation is a good corporate citizen – showing them your are actively addressing issues.

Competitor Advantage

• Coalitions position your organisation with a strategic insight and plan to address issues that are presenting themselves against industry.
• Allow network and collaboration with other industry leaders.
• Provides opportunities to learn and influence others.

Corporate positioning

• Provides development opportunities for staff and emerging leaders within your organisation.
• Provides promotional opportunities and positive positioning in the industry.
• Provides knowledge-sharing and capability building for organisation and staff.

To help support each committee and the member organisations the ISC will commit to delivering promotion and positioning benefits. Including roundtables, social media and conference deep-dive sessions.

Coalition Focus

Each coalition will focus on a key issue the industry is facing. These are some of the biggest and most important issues of our time. The three new member coalitions are: Climate Action, Resilience, and Circular Economy.

Climate Action: To accelerate climate action in every town, city and region through a place-based approach.

Resilience: To accelerate systemic resilience so that infrastructure can enable thriving lifestyles, communities and nations.

Circular Economy: To accelerate the transition to circular business models and economies in infrastrucure.

 

Find out more

To learn more about the ISC Member Coalitions and join today visit the website or email coalitions@iscouncil.org to arrange an information session.

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