Royal Schiphol Group climate change adaptation
Climate change is also increasingly impacting air traffic. Airports will have to deal with this and are therefore developing strategies and implementation plans to manage the impacts of climate change on their operations. Witteveen+Bos and the firm planeground airport consulting supported Royal Schiphol Group in drawing up a climate change adaptation strategy.
RSG has expressed its ambition to make its airports (Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Rotterdam-The Hague Airport, Lelystad Airport and Eindhoven Airport) climate-robust by 2050. This is necessary to ensure the socioeconomic functions of airports under changing (climatic) conditions.
From national/international policies, in addition, there are increasing obligations to report on climate measures, for example from the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, based on international standards developed by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). This organisation was set up to inform shareholders, investors and other stakeholders about climate-related financial risks.
Hard requirement
Airports must identify the impact of climate change and associated financial risks on their assets and business operations and prepare a strategy and corresponding implementation plan for this.
The journey to climate resilience starts with an inventory of climate risks. The first question: what undesirable weather situations and other situations are becoming more common due to the changing climate?
Next: what is the impact of these events? In this way, changes in risks are identified in various domains: people (employees, travellers/visitors), processes (e.g. baggage handling) and assets (e.g. runways). A real risk, for example, is persistent, heavy rainfall.
This could lead to reduced accessibility for air traffic, which in turn could cause delays for travellers. Not only travellers may be affected by climate change; airport staff may also be affected. Persistent heat spells, for example, can affect the health and deployability of ground staff.
Local aspects
These risks vary from airport to airport and are highly dependent on local parameters, such as climate, soil and water conditions and the condition of assets. Dutch airports are located in a maritime climate zone, which can pose specific risks.
For the Royal Schiphol Group, these risks were identified (from flooding to drought, from wind to fog) and then translated into physical impacts. An examination was carried out of where the greatest risks lie, what measures are already being taken now – for example, to cope with downpours – and what more is needed. This is in line with RSG's existing system for identifying and presenting risks.
Priorities
For Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, a follow-up step developed a roadmap on how to address climate change and reduce related risks in the design of new investments, maintenance and in day-to-day operations. These steps have been elaborated into concrete actions with corresponding objectives, the timeframe and the departments involved.
The plan contains several elements: awareness of climate change and associated risks, adaptation of design guidelines and the design process, and adjustments in operational management. These measures must be monitored after works execution to determine whether they are having the desired effect.
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