ASTM E3032-15

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Designation: E3032 − 15
StandardGuide for
1
Climate Resiliency Planning and Strategy
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E3032; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
This guide provides a set of options for planning climate resiliency management. This includes
adapting local business and government infrastructure to chronic, extreme weather events and sea
level rise. It may not apply to entities where such assessment and risk management is already widely
available through standard sets of guidance, such as the construction of green buildings. This guide
provides a voluntary framework of the risk management options and steps that may be beneficial to
evaluate climate resiliency solutions. It provides strategies for existing organizations, even those
currently operating outside of various voluntary and regulatory schemes. The environmental
assessment and risk management strategies contained in this guide recognize the overall value of
existing responses. This guide references and blends similar, effective programs and extends them to
provide a consistent approach that will facilitate communication and preparation for extreme weather
events.
Background—This guide presents a series of options for an individual, group or entity to use. The
goal is a strategy or plan to address extreme weather.
1. Scope 1.1.3 This guide addresses adaptation strategies and plan-
ning in response to various impacts that may occur to
1.1 Overview—For the purposes of this guide, ‘resiliency’
individuals, organizations, human settlements or ecosystems in
refers to efforts by entities, organizations, or individuals to
a broad variety of ways. For example, extreme weather might
prepare for or adjust to future extreme weather and related
increase or decrease rainfall, influence agricultural crop yields,
physical conditions. The primary purpose is to reduce negative
affect human health, cause changes to forests and other
economic impacts associated with extreme weather.
ecosystems, or impact energy supply or infrastructure.
1.1.1 This guide presents a generalized, systematic ap-
1.1.4 Climate-related impacts may occur locally within a
proach to voluntary assessment and risk management of
region or across a country and may affect many sectors of the
extreme climate related events and conditions. It helps the user
economy.Inordertomeetthesechallenges,thisguideprovides
structure their understanding of the climate related vulnerabili-
an organized, uniform approach to prepare for the impacts of
ties and consequences they seek to manage. It helps the user
extreme weather through planned “resiliency” strategies.
identifyadaptiveactionsofbothaninstitutional(legal),aswell
1.1.5 This guide addresses options to deal with risk factors
as engineering (physical) nature. Options for analysis provide
that may be key drivers for the economy, human health, the
a priority ranking system to address the “worst first” risks of a
environment, or ecosystems. The guide is aimed at helping
municipality, local area or facility, addressing practicality and
users understand risks and potential losses, and offers options
cost-benefit. Users may approach this analysis having initially
and a generalized approach to bolster human and ecosystem
undertaken a risk assessment to determine what they are
resiliency to a changing climate. This includes sustainability
seeking to manage, or use the guide to help determine the
concepts such as support of economic stability and a good
likely areas of greatest need.
quality of life.
1.1.2 These climate adaptations or adjustments may be
1.1.6 Adaptation can involve responses to extreme weather
either protective (that is, guarding against negative impacts of
and long-term preparation for future events. Local conditions
extreme weather), or opportunistic (that is, taking advantage of
will require risk evaluation and analysis of both likely weather
any beneficial effects of extreme weather).
events and/or extreme weather trends.
1 1.1.7 This guide does not address the causes of extreme
ThisguideisunderthejurisdictionofASTMCommitteeE50onEnvironmental
Assessment, Risk Management and CorrectiveAction and is the direct responsibil- weather.
ity of Subcommittee E50.05 on Environmental Risk Management.
1.2 Purpose—The purpose of this guide is to provide a
Current edition approved Dec. 1, 2015. Published January 2016. DOI: 10.1520/
E3032–15 series of options consistent with preparing for extreme weather
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