Pursuing sustainable environmental outcomes and adapting to climate change are a core responsibility of infrastructure planners, owners and operators. This is a reality that has to be planned for. Infrastructure-related emissions account for approximately half of Australia's total greenhouse gas inventory. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions should be a key consideration when infrastructure plans, construction methods and operational frameworks are being determined.
Enhancing the resilience of assets will become more important for infrastructure providers as extreme weather events become increasingly likely to threaten certain assets.
Between 2000 and 2012, insured losses from natural disasters reached $16.1 billion, an average of over $1.2 billion per year. These events can cause immediate and significant damage to infrastructure assets, lowering productivity and output. The damage to public infrastructure from the 2011 Queensland floods alone was estimated at $5-6 billion.