Climate and hazards mitigation

How does ASCE define climate and hazards mitigation?

Climate and hazard mitigation refers to efforts undertaken by civil engineers to improve practices that reduce or eliminate the nation’s vulnerability to increasing strong storms, earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, tsunamis, or flooding and to improve the resilience of our critical systems to withstand severe weather events and return to service after an incident. Climate and hazards mitigation includes codes and standards, adaptation, pre-disaster mitigation, etc.

Related ASCE policy statements

• PS389 – Mitigating the impacts of natural and man-made disasters
• PS360 – Climate change
• PS390 – Earthquake hazards mitigation
• PS488 – Greenhouse gases
• PS499 – Emergency preparedness and response
• PS500 – Resilient infrastructure initiatives
• PS530 – Windstorm impact mitigation
• PS545 – Flood risk management
• PS536 – Emergency responder legislation
• PS421 – Floodplain management

Talking points in layman's terms

1. Most infrastructure is built to provide long service lives (50 to 100 years) and are expected to remain functional, durable, and safe. However, the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, combined with increasing population densities, and system interdependencies have demonstrated vulnerabilities in the nation's infrastructure.
2. Climate change, and natural and man-made disasters have repeatedly demonstrated the vulnerability of infrastructure. The federal funding of research and standards is insufficient to provide the resources and data necessary to identify the most effective ways to mitigate the impact of climate change, natural and man-made hazards.
3. The most reliable way to ensure our nation’s infrastructure is climate and disaster resilient is the widespread adoption and enforcement of modern, up to date building codes, combined with vital research to increase our understanding of climate hazards. Therefore, ASCE remains committed to working with policymakers to develop and implement legislation that not only incentivizes the use of the most up to date standards, but policies that prioritize the resilience of our infrastructure systems.

ASCE advocacy highlights

• June 2, 2023 - ASCE Toolkit — Pathways to Resilient Communities: Infrastructure designed for the environmental hazards in your regions
• September 19, 2022 - ASCE comments for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposed rulemaking on the Federal Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards (FR–6233–P–01)
• August 2, 2022 - Resilience Coalition Support Letter for S. 3531 — National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act
• April 13, 2022 - ASCE letter in support of the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (NCARS)
• March 17, 2022 - Letter to House Science Committee in Emphasizing the Importance of the Federal Role in Standards
• February 2, 2022 - Letter to Senate Homeland Security Committee in Support of S. 3510, the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act
• March 18, 2021 - Statement for the Record to House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management on Building Smarter Hearing

ASCE staff contact: Martin Hight - Senior Manager, Government Relations