Climate Change An 'Opportunity' For Utilities, Analyst Says

Uncertainty around climate change is no reason for water utilities to delay in preparation, one analyst says.

Simon Pollard, a risk management researcher at Cranfield University's School of Energy, Environment and Agrifood in the U.K., says that such uncertainty “ought not to be the basis for delayed decisions,” according to Bloomberg BNA. “Let's be bolder about what we know instead of being paralyzed about what we don’t know.”

Even with imperfect data, utilities can take steps to prepare, according to Pollard.

“Pollard said even without a clear baseline understanding of how climate affects their operations, water utilities can assess ‘measured risks’ using plausible scenarios for a wide range of situations to adapt their facilities and build more resilient organizations,” Bloomberg BNA reported.  

He called climate change a “disruptive opportunity” for utilities, noting that improvements to water-system resilience benefit water companies. “Resilience in the water sector will come from a fusion of innovation, risk management and foresight, he said,” Bloomberg BNA reported.

Communicating with customers about climate change is important, according to Edward Maibach, a professor and director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University in Virginia. Explaining the need for system upgrades may help prepare them for higher bills, he said.

“Show them the kind of challenges you're dealing with in your water system,” he said, per the report. “And make it vivid.”

“Customers need to know that climate change ‘is happening here today,’ it's not a distant threat, Maibach said,” Bloomberg BNA reported.

Many water utilities do not rate climate change as a priority. When executives at U.S. water utilities were asked about the biggest anxiety for their industry, “only about 10 percent said that climate change, which could further reduce water supplies in already water-stressed regions, was a significant sustainability issue,” Greentech Media reported, citing a new analysis by the consultancy Black & Veatch.

Water utilities may not be doing enough planning for climate change. “More than 60 percent of respondents identified water supply and water scarcity as the most significant climate issue for water utilities. Only one-quarter of water utility strategic plans factor in both climate change and the need for resilient infrastructure,” according to a statement from Black & Veatch.

For more on how utilities are preparing for climate change, visit Water Online’s Resiliency Solutions Center.