CCA, CCLI guide provides roadmap to addressing climate governance – constructconnect.com

Report on Climate Governance in Canada’s Construction Sector

Introduction

A recent report published by the Canada Climate Law Initiative (CCLI) and the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) emphasizes the urgent need for the construction sector to integrate climate resilience into its core governance frameworks. The report, titled Building resilience: A guide to climate governance for Canada’s construction sector, serves as a strategic roadmap for industry leaders to address escalating climate risks throughout the construction value chain.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The report aligns closely with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including:

1. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – by promoting resilient infrastructure and sustainable industrialization through climate governance.
2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – by encouraging the development of climate-resilient communities.
3. SDG 13: Climate Action – by embedding climate risk mitigation and adaptation strategies into corporate governance.

Key Messages and Strategic Recommendations

• Leadership and Governance: Directors and senior leadership are pivotal in driving climate action within construction companies, ensuring accountability and strategic oversight.
• Competitive Advantage through Climate Action: Adoption of long-term mitigation and adaptation strategies positions companies as leaders in a transforming marketplace, enhancing business resilience and satisfying evolving client expectations.
• Systems-Level Coordination: Effective climate resilience requires coordinated efforts across sectors, sustained collaboration, and shared accountability mechanisms.

Quotes from Industry Leaders

• Rodrigue Gilbert, CCA President, highlighted the sector’s potential to foster sustainable, climate-resilient communities through governance, leadership, and collaboration across the value chain.
• Jacqueline Fitzpatrick, author and CCLI research scholar, described climate governance as a strategic imperative for building sustainable businesses and communities.
• Amee Sandhu, climate governance expert and senior legal counsel, emphasized the evolving fiduciary duties of directors and the increasing demand for accountability from stakeholders, regulators, and citizens.

Tools and Frameworks Provided

The guide offers comprehensive resources to assist boards and management teams in embedding climate governance into their operations, including:

1. Legal context outlining emerging laws and ethical considerations related to climate governance.
2. Risk assessment frameworks tailored to evaluate climate-related risks within construction projects.
3. Practical tools to integrate climate resilience strategies into corporate governance and decision-making processes.

Conclusion

This report underscores the critical role of the construction sector in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals by fostering climate resilience through effective governance. It calls for a proactive, coordinated approach to climate action that not only mitigates risks but also creates sustainable value for communities and businesses alike.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The article emphasizes building climate-resilient communities through the construction sector, directly linking to SDG 11 which focuses on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The core theme of the article is embedding climate resilience and governance in the construction sector to address climate risks such as heatwaves, wildfires, and flooding, aligning with SDG 13 which calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
   • The focus on governance, leadership, and collaboration across the construction value chain to drive sustainable and resilient infrastructure connects with SDG 9.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article highlights the need for a systems-level coordinated approach and cross-sector collaboration, which aligns with SDG 17 on strengthening partnerships to achieve the goals.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Identified

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • Target 11.5: Significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected by disasters, including water-related disasters.
   • Target 11.b: Increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
2. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

1. Indicators related to climate resilience and governance:
   • Number or percentage of construction companies embedding climate governance in their core operations.
   • Extent of cross-sector coordination and shared accountability mechanisms established within the construction value chain.
   • Reduction in climate-related risks (e.g., heatwaves, wildfires, flooding) impact on construction projects and communities.
   • Number of projects or communities adopting long-term climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.
   • Legal compliance and fiduciary duty awareness among directors and senior leadership in the construction sector.
2. Implied indicators from SDG frameworks:
   • SDG 11.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
   • SDG 13.1.2: Number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies.
   • SDG 9.1.2: Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport (to assess infrastructure resilience).
   • SDG 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: canada.constructconnect.com