Climate Risk Institute (CRI)

Online course starting Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Course Fee: $625 plus applicable taxes (if pursuing the IRP credential ); $475 plus applicable taxes (if for professional development only)

The online course, beginning on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, will be delivered twice a week for four (4) consecutive weeks (Tuesday and Thursday, 12:00 pm – 1:45 pm, EDT).

It was designed to fulfill one of the knowledge requirements of the Infrastructure Resilience Professional (IRP) Credentialling Program, but it can also be taken as a stand-alone course for professional development credits

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Course Description

Climate change is here. It has already had a serious impact on our infrastructure, economy and environment, and its future impacts will only grow with time. Mitigation efforts may slow the rate of change, but are unlikely to reverse the trend. The majority of Canada’s infrastructure is decades old, and was designed based on outdated climate patterns. In light of our changing climate, design standards and existing infrastructure systems may need to be revised to ensure public safety and quality of life.

The combined efforts of engineers, architects and other infrastructure professionals will be required to address the combined challenges of infrastructure development/renewal and climate change. Professionals must augment skills with new information necessary to (re)design for, and adapt to a climate-adjusted future. An understanding of climate change risks and opportunities affecting project planning, design, construction and operation will be necessary to properly execute projects going forward.

Infrastructure professionals have a duty to protect human health, safety and welfare. They are also subject to legal responsibilities and standards of care, which could expose them to legal liability relating to climate impacts and associated damages if proper standards of prudence are not met. As the climate continues to change, legal duties and standards of care are also evolving. Relying on outdated standards and processes could be considered negligent. There is a need for education on climate change law and policy developments among infrastructure professionals, the wider construction industry and related decision makers to promote improved consideration of climate change in a variety of practice-areas and project-types.

The Climate Risk Institute offers the Infrastructure Resilience Professional (IRP) certification program, which recognizes an individual’s additional knowledge in planning, designing and managing resilient infrastructure and building assets and their components in the face of extreme weather and our changing climate. The IRP will be available to infrastructure professionals who satisfy certain competency and assessment criteria.

This professional development course will be offered electronically on Zoom beginning on May 18, 2021. It will be recognized as part of the IRP program and aims to educate infrastructure professionals on climate change law issues and the associated implications on their practice. The course is divided into four modules:

• Module 1 – Legal Framework for Climate Change Mitigation (Week 1)
• Module 2 – Legal Framework for Climate Change Adaptation (Week 2)
• Module 3 – Professional Responsibility and Avoiding Negligence (Week 3)
• Module 4 – Corporate Disclosure of Climate Change Risks (Week 4)

Modules 1 and 2 provide an overview of legal frameworks aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate change and discuss existing and emerging legal obligations relevant to infrastructure professionals at the provincial, federal and international levels. Module 3 hones in on the roles and responsibilities of infrastructure professionals and how they can adapt their practices to incorporate climate change and reduce exposure to potential negligence lawsuits. Finally, Module 4 explores corporate issues relating to climate change, including risk disclosure requirements, asset management and director and officer obligations, as infrastructure professionals have a role in managing these risks and assisting clients to improve climate risk disclosure.

Participants will be provided access to course materials one week prior to the beginning of the Course. Note that this training is intended for individual instruction, not for groups under a single registration.

Course Instructors

Adam Rochwerg, MA, MSc, JD

Adam Rochwerg is a lawyer with experience in climate-related policy, law, disclosure, and liability. He leads clients in a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and managing climate impacts.

Prior to joining Manifest Climate, Adam worked for a leading plaintiff-side class action law firm in Toronto where he led large public-interest litigation files. Previously, Adam worked at the United Nations in New York, where he served as an advisor for the Permanent Mission of the Maldives and as a policy advisor for an intergovernmental organization focused on small island state development. He also brings experience as a government affairs advisor for the United Nations Environment Programme, advising for the Oceans and Environment Division of Global Affairs Canada, and as a caseworker at Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice Canada.

Adam is currently a Global Fellow with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and he serves on the executive board of the Environmental Law Section at the Ontario Bar Association. He clerked for the judges of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and is called to the Bar of Ontario.

Adam holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University, a Master of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law.

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