Photo by Donald Tong from Pexels

By: Ciara DeJong

To access the Government of Canada’s infrastructure funding for large infrastructure projects in Canada, a Climate Lens Assessments (CLA) is required.  ORTECH has over 40 years of experience in determining air emissions such as greenhouse gases (GHG) from a multitude of sources.

What is a Climate Lens Assessments (CLA) ?

The Climate Lens Assessment (CLA) is a framework developed by Infrastructure Canada to help achieve Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target of 30% reduction below 2005 levels. The intention of the CLA is to guide infrastructure projects towards managing sources of GHG emissions, and develop projects that are resilient to a changing climate.  The CLA aims to help decision-makers understand the risks of a changing climate, and then identify opportunities to reduce GHG emissions from the design, construction and operation phases of large infrastructure projects.

Federal programs requiring a CLA are:

·        Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP),

·        the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF)

·        Smart Cities Challenge

 How are Climate Lens Assessments Completed?

The CLA is comprised of two elements.  Part one is a GHG mitigation assessment where a project’s GHG emissions or reductions are evaluated against a base case scenario.  Part two is a climate resilience assessment using a risk management framework.  For this part of the CLA possible risks from a changing climate are identified, assessed, managed and adapted.  The depth of the assessment depends on the magnitude of the potential risks and can range from high level to comprehensive.

What does a Climate Lens Assessment Cost?

As per the Government of Canada guidelines for approved projects the costs associated with Climate Lens assessments will be retroactively eligible for reimbursement.

How Can ORTECH Help?

Our team includes professional engineers, risk evaluators, and climate science experts as well as HVAC and energy efficiency specialists. ORTECH’s experience leads to the right answer, right away with our tailor made approach to your project. ORTECH can provide a comprehensive approach to your Climate Lens Assessment.