The Model Code of Practice on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience for Engineers provides guidance to engineers to reduce escalating climate impacts on civil infrastructure and buildings now and in future thus making a significant contribution to achieving SDG 13 as well as positively impacting all other SDGs.
The Model Code of Practice reminds and encourages engineers to improve their knowledge and skills through capacity development and training to equip them to deal with the rapidly changing and evolving needs of all nations to adapt to and improve resilience to our changing climate. By focussing on SDG 13 – Climate Action engineers can make an enormous contribution to all SDGs. The WFEO Model Code of Practice and its upcoming update turns words into action.
The upcoming 2025 Model Code of Climate Adaptation and Resilience provides rationale and guidance to engineers to consider climate in their day-to-day practice and fulfill their ethical obligation to do so. It expands the previous nine guiding principles to include climate resilience as well as innovative, progressive and equitable solutions (such as nature-based ones) that consider long term environment, social and economic impacts and public welfare not just public health and safety.
The 15 guidelines are grouped into three categories:
- Ethical and Professional Practice and Climate
- # 1: Adopt Climate Considerations into Practice
- # 2: Exercise ethical leadership
- # 3: Respect human rights and ensure solutions do not disproportionately affect marginalized or vulnerable groups
- # 4: Exercise engineering judgment
- # 5: Exercise precautionary measures considering climate uncertainty
- # 6: Be aware of potential legal liability
- Integrate Climate and Climate-based Information
- # 7: Interpret and specify climate information
- # 8: Review the adequacy and application of locally applicable codes, standards and guidelines
- Engineering Practice Guidance
- # 9: Work with multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder teams
- # 10: Plan for the infrastructure service life (life cycle)
- # 11: Use risk management to pro-actively address climate uncertainties
- # 12: Enhance the climate resilience of infrastructures and engineered systems
- # 13: Design and implement solutions, including nature-based, that consider long-term environmental, economic, and social impacts
- # 14: Use effective language and communicate decisions clearly
- # 15: Engage in lifelong learning and ongoing engagement to stay current with evolving climate science, climate resilient technologies, standards, tools and methods
The Model Code of Practice emphasizes the importance of responsible and documented decision-making based on engineering judgment. It encourages engineers to engage in lifelong learning and ongoing engagement to stay current with evolving climate science, and climate resilient technologies, tools and methods. Adapting these principles and practices to the extent possible within project constraints will help assure the engineer fulfills their professional, ethical and technical responsibilities.
The WFEO Working Group on Climate Change strongly encourages national and international members of WFEO to publish their own Code of Practice on Climate Adaptation and Resilience for their engineers. Furthermore, delivering continuing education courses on the Model Code and its application to everyday practice will enhance the ability of their engineers to integrate climate adaptation and resilience considerations into their scope of practice thus contributing significantly towards achieving the UN SDGs at local, regional and national levels.
Rationale
The climate is changing. Historical climatic design data has become less representative of the future climate. Many future climate risks may be significantly under-estimated. Engineers cannot assume that the future will be similar to the past. Historical climate trends cannot be simply projected into the future as a basis for engineering planning, design, operations and maintenance of infrastructure.
Adapting current and future infrastructure to be resilient to extreme weather events and long term climate changes over their long service life has become a societal imperative. Engineers need to understand and play a key role in achieving this goal as an integral part of their practice. They should keep themselves informed about the changing climate, and consider its potential impacts on their work.
The WFEO Code of Ethics strongly guides engineers towards a sustainable and resilient future rather than leaving room to simply maintain the status quo. The paramount duty of engineers is to hold paramount public health, safety and welfare which are an integral part of the desired outcomes of the UN SDGs. The Engineers’ duty is an affirmative obligation, not a neutral one.
The WFEO and its national and international members are committed to raising awareness among engineers about the potential impacts of the changing climate and how these relate to engineering of existing and future civil infrastructure and buildings. As such, the WFEO Model Code of Practice was originally developed and published in December 2015 to provide practice guidance to engineers to consider the implications of climate change in their professional practice and create a clear record of the outcomes of those considerations.
The Model Code of Practice on Climate Change Adaptation for Engineers was prepared by the WFEO Standing Technical Committee on Engineering and the Environment hosted at that time by Engineers Canada, with Chair Darrel Danyluk and Secretary David Lapp. It was subsequently distributed to national and international members with a recommendation to adopt as policy and practice guidance for their own engineers. It is available in this link.
Since 2023, the WFEO Working Group on Climate Change, the group charged by WFEO to engage in climate and engineering issues, has updated the document to include principles of climate resilience and the application of nature-based solutions as well as other practices that have been developed and applied in the 10 years since the Model Code was originally published in 2015.
Since the publication of the Model Code of Practice in 2015, climate consideration has become an essential component of engineering practice across most disciplines especially as it relates to civil infrastructure and buildings and all of their components (mechanical, electrical, etc).
A key marker of progress is the increasing integration of climate change into engineering practice through consideration of climate risk and vulnerabilities currently and for the future life cycle. While not yet universally practiced, Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CVRA) is growing as an accepted contributor to planning, design,construction, operations and maintenance.
Furthermore, demand for climate consideration and resilience by infrastructure owners, particularly governments at all levels and International Financial Institutions (IFI) as well as the private sector is increasing. This trend demands that engineers become more proficient in climate adaptation and resilience practices and innovative solutions that incorporate climate consideration.
Also encouraging is the increased availability and quality of climate services, climate data, climate projections, practice guidance, tools and climate design standards at international, national and local levels.
Engineers need to know what resources are available to support their local practice and how to obtain them. Progress is uneven however, and engineers need to engage in advocating and support for improvements that meet their local practice needs. The Model Code of Practice reminds engineers of their need to engage in the development, improvement and availability of tools and data.