Understanding and Assessing Impacts
TransLink utilized Metro Vancouver’s climate projections on a 30-year timeframe out to 2050 to determine climate impacts on infrastructure, facilities, operations, employees, and customers. Metro Vancouver used climate data from the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium utilizing statistically downscaled climate models (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5) and a “business as usual” greenhouse gas emissions scenario known as Representative Concentration Pathways 8.5 (RCP8.5). The key climate hazards identified in the TransLink include:
- Temperature
- Increased annual and seasonal temperature
- Extreme heat days
- Frequency and length of heatwaves
- Precipitation
- Annual and seasonal rainfall
- Storms and heavy rainfall
- Freshet flooding
- Landslides
- Bank erosion
- Sea Level Rise
- Storms
- Storm surge events
- High winds
- Extreme snow and ice
These climate impacts were used to inform a Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerabilities Committee (PIEVC) risk assessment to identify key asset and operational vulnerabilities across the transit and transportation system. The risk assessment identified ‘High’ and ‘Medium’ risks including damage to key infrastructure such as bus loops and transit centres, SeaBus terminals, SkyTrain stations, bridges, tunnels, radio towers, and more.
For additional climate information, look at the Resources section of this example (below).