ISO 14090: Climate Change Adaptation

Climate changes affect society in different ways, and this happens due to industrial revolution start. Further climate change scale depends on the quality of efforts to limit future emissions. Organizational effect associated with climate changes are physical, financial, regulatory and reputational, and they can be direct and indirect. Investors, customers and the media are increasingly scrutinizing companies’ reactions. Regardless of the sector in which the company is located, it is increasingly responsible for influencing and responding to climate variations.

ISO 14090 on climate changes adapting (principles, requirements and guidelines) was published in September 2019. It provides a framework for firms to take such changes adaptation into account when creating and implementing policies, strategies and plans. All firms in which their deals, products and services may be threatened by climate change or, sometimes, they can take advantage of it can use standard.

Standard Importance & Essence

It is the main ISO standard designed to help companies assess the impact of climate variations and create plans for good adaptation. Standard shows how companies can prioritize and create quality, efficient, clear and deliverable adaptations that improve resilience and demonstrate robust risk management in face of climate transformation.

To give choice and flexibility, the standard is presented at a high level; this makes it possible to tailor actions to the needs of the company. The special non-linear nature of the approach to the standard allows enterprises to fine-tune its structure regardless of where they are in their own adaptation strategy – from those who are just starting to those who are adapting to those who prefer leadership. ISO 14090 for climate change adapting and is drafted to be meaningfully integrated into current business practices and priorities. This includes implementing adaptation mechanisms in parallel or in conjunction with different resilience priorities (such as mitigating gas emissions) or SDG targets.

ISO 14090 can be applied with other management system standards such as ISO 14001, the environmental management system standard and ISO 55001, the asset management system standard.

Structure of the Standard

1. Normative references.
2. Terms and definitions.
3. Principles (the principles that are presented in this section are the basis for changes adaptation process).
4. Pre-planning.
5. Assessment of the impacts of climate changes, including opportunities (the enterprise evaluates how it affects work, products and services).
6. Planning adaptation.
7. Monitoring and evaluation.
8. Reporting and information exchange.

Climate change affects the following:

• health, safety and productivity of workers;
• air quality;
• asset damage and disruption to operations;
• loss of coastal infrastructure;
• storm surge, flooding and pollution;
• disruption to supply chains and distribution networks;
• change in the price of products;
• shifts in the provision of ecosystem services;
• decline in the productivity of crops and livestock;
• regulation or other interference of the country;
• fiscal measures such as incentives and penalties.

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