At COP27 we need to focus on building resilience in vulnerable communities

Growing impact of extreme weather events means adaptation is an essential effort alongside accelerating decarbonization, says Robert Spencer, Global Lead for ESG Advisory.

At COP27, the imperative is to get the job done. Anyone following the growing cataclysm of extreme weather events knows that decisive action is now a requirement.

In the 12 months since COP26 convened in Glasgow, the world has experienced, to name just a few, catastrophic floods in Pakistan, record temperatures and droughts in northern European and Hurricane Ian. These have wrought havoc on communities.

As I join COP27 later this week, my focus will be on those areas where AECOM, working with peers and partners at the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, can bring its experience and expertise to bear in facilitating both the energy transition and climate adaptation.

One of the most notable outcomes of COP26 was the establishment of the Just Energy Transition Partnership between a group of wealthy nations and South Africa, to finance and expedite the latter’s energy transition. The JETP can act as a model for similar programs. This is an area in which AECOM, with its global network, can have an impact, particularly in our core strengths such as real estate decarbonization and low carbon infrastructure, as well as transportation networks and enabling fleet transformation from fossil fuels to hybrid, electric and hydrogen.

António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, didn’t sugar coat the challenge facing delegates in Sharm El-Sheikh in his opening address this week. “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing,” he said. “Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.”

One key change in the response to extreme events is the growing acceptance that they are caused by climate change. This seems to have empowered Guterres to be even more direct in his call to developed countries to intensify their efforts not only to accelerate the energy transition but also to tackle the destruction climate change is already bringing.

This twin focus on faster decarbonization and adaptation is critical, and AECOM welcomes the Secretary-General’s clarity and urgency. AECOM has long supported efforts to make towns and cities more resilient. With an estimated 3.5bn people living in areas vulnerable to disruption, the Secretary-General’s increased focus on adaptation is welcome and fits with the needs of a just transition, addressing the most vulnerable and underprivileged communities as a priority.

The work we’ve done in this area, including addressing the resiliency of the coastal Philippines to typhoon flooding, has illustrated the complexity of adaptation. It requires not only increased and alternative financing plans, but a partnership between capital, key stakeholders and decision-makers to find and deliver the right solutions.

And in fighting what the Secretary-General called “the war on nature”, there is an increasingly important role for nature-based solutions. Countries such as Singapore, with low and vulnerable coastlines, have already harnessed the power of nature, converting disused prawn ponds into mangrove forests to fight coastal erosion. We are proud to work with FIDIC and the Worldwide Fund for Nature in its partnership to promote nature-based solutions.

As António Guterres says: “The good news is that we know what to do and we have the financial and technological tools to get the job done.” AECOM will be working hard with our partners around the world to leverage these tools and deliver tangible results.