Glossary of Terms

Below is a list of terms that have been used on Climate Insight.

Please note that certain definitions may vary elsewhere; these terms have been defined as they have been applied on Climate Insight, which may differ from other sources. All definitions on Climate Insight refer to infrastructure within municipal jurisdictions.

Adaptation

Climate change adaptation refers to any process or action taken to increase the resilience of people, infrastructure, communities, and ecosystems, allowing them to better adjust to the impacts of a changing climate and prepare for future impacts.

Buildings/Housing

An asset class that includes all publicly owned buildings, facilities and community housing, as well as any buildings and facilities that support other asset areas.

Examples: city hall building, arena, buildings housing other processes (eg. wastewater or water treatment), fleet building

Carbon Sequestration

Any mitigation option that involves the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it, either naturally (eg. vegetation, soil organic carbon, etc) or technologically.

Codes

A code is a document that is:

1. broad in scope; and
2. given the force of law through adoption by a provincial, territorial, or municipal authority.

In some instances authorities will adopt an existing code as is, in other cases they will adopt an existing code with amendments or create their own code.

Comprehensive Risk Assessment

A comprehensive risk assessment approach is one where the scope is wide and takes a system perspective. It either looks at multiple climatic parameters (eg. extreme heat, flood) or across multiple service or thematic areas (eg. health systems, engineered assets).

Consequence

The impact on infrastructure, people, and other systems that a hazard would have should it occur.

Construction Emissions

Construction Emissions can be defined as the direct emissions resulting from building and construction activities, generated mainly from burning fossil fuels (to power equipment, vehicles, and stationary combustion for electrical generation) or releasing non-energy emissions (eg. refrigerants etc) during the construction phase of the project.

Cost Range

On Climate Insight, cost range is used within the Infrastructure Options, Codes, Standards, and Guidelines, and Tools to help illustrate the range of financial costs associated with each activity. The table below shows the definitions of the various symbolizations of costs.

• Definitions/Ranges for Infrastructure Options
  • No Cost: Free
  • Operational Cost: The option can be done within the allocated operational budget and/or not require a request for proposal.
  • $: <$75K
  • $$: $75-500K
  • $$$: $500K-$2M
  • $$$$: $2M-$10M
  • $$$$$: >$10M
• Definitions/Ranges for Codes, Standards, Guidelines
  • No Cost: Free to download or online view access is available
  • $: <$500
  • $$: >$500
• Definitions/Ranges for Tools
  • No Cost: Free
  • $: Requires purchase of the tool
  • $$: Requires additional costs (eg. consulting support for implementation)

Electrical Efficiency

On Climate Insight, electrical efficiency is defined as any option that reduces energy use through improved electrical and/or mechanical systems.

Energy Modelling

Any tool that simulates the energy flows and systems of a building(s) or process(es) in order to analyse and determine the energy consumption and opportunities for energy savings.

Embodied Carbon

Embodied carbon is the upstream carbon and greenhouse gases emitted from the construction process and the materials used in a piece of infrastructure. These upstream stages can include material extraction, manufacturing or processing, and transportation.

Emissions Calculator

Any tool that calculates the greenhouse gas emissions of a particular asset.

Energy Efficiency

A mitigation option category that includes reducing energy losses with improved thermal efficiency (includes building envelope, process heat, etc.), reducing energy use through improved electro/mechanical systems efficiency and conservation, and improved energy efficiency through operational practices and controls and/or asset-related policy changes.

Extreme Heat

Extreme heat is a hazard that is defined as a prolonged period of temperatures that are above the average high, or more humid than the average. The definition of extreme heat may vary by region because of each location’s specific averages. For further information on specific thresholds, refer to Environment Canada.

Flooding

Flooding is a hazard that occurs when an area of dry land is partially or completely inundated. This can come from a number of sources including extreme precipitation (pluvial flooding), inland or fresh water bodies (fluvial flooding), seawater (coastal flooding), and groundwater.

Fuel Switching

A mitigation option category that includes any action that involves switching to low or zero carbon fuels/energy (eg. renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, etc.).

Green Infrastructure

On Climate Insight, this is defined as one of the asset classes that includes both natural solutions and hybrid ones. Green Infrastructure is the natural vegetative systems, engineered and built features, and green technologies that collectively provide society with a multitude of economic, environmental and social outcomes (Click here for a visual illustration of the infrastructure and solution types).

Grey Solution

Climate Insight defines grey solutions to be any infrastructure options that are made exclusively of engineered materials such as concrete and steel (Click here for a visual illustration of the infrastructure and solution types).

Guidelines

Guidelines are documents that are narrow in scope and do not have the force of law. They often fill in details sometimes missing from laws or regulations and outline general guiding principles which have a broad basis of consensus among regulators to aid professionals in complying with codes and standards. Synonymous with: guides, guidance documents, directives, technical guidance.

On Climate Insight, we have included guidelines that fill in details missing from codes and standards, and/or if they reference codes and standards. 

Hazard

Hazard refers to the possible, future occurrence of natural or human-induced physical events that may have adverse effects on vulnerable and exposed elements. It can be thought of as the type of stressor or the natural phenomenon that may potentially threaten green, grey or hybrid infrastructure. On Climate Insight, we have used the term hazard to refer to climate-related physical events as well as their physical impacts, where appropriate.

Hybrid Solution

Climate Insight defines hybrid solutions to be any infrastructure option that incorporates elements of grey infrastructure to enhance or support natural infrastructure and/or the use of ecosystem processes. Hybrid solutions encompass enhanced and engineered assets, and are synonymous with low-impact development (Click here for a visual illustration of the infrastructure and solution types).

Infrastructure

The managed elements of interrelated systems that provide goods and services essential to enabling, sustaining or enhancing the living conditions of human communities. Infrastructure systems consist of built infrastructure, natural infrastructure, and the enabling environment. The guidance provided on Climate Insight is geared towards municipally owned and/or managed public infrastructure.

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)

A tool that assesses the environmental impacts of a project associated with all the stages of its life.

Likelihood

In the context of climate change risk assessments, likelihood refers to the chance of a hazard happening. Likelihood may be measured, determined qualitatively or quantitatively, and expressed in general terms or mathematically.

Mitigation

Climate change mitigation refers to any action that limits or prevents greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere, as well as any enhancing activities that remove these gases from the atmosphere (carbon sequestration).

Natural Solution

Climate Insight defines a natural solution to be any infrastructure option that exclusively uses preserved, restored, or enhanced ecosystem features and materials (eg. water, native species of vegetation, sand and stone, etc.) to deliver beneficial community services and infrastructure outcomes. Encompasses all natural assets (Click here for a visual illustration of the infrastructure and solution types).

Nature-Based Solution

Actions to protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, which address societal challenges, effectively and adaptively, providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. NbSs pertain to natural and enhanced assets (Click here for a visual illustration of the infrastructure and solution types).

Non-Energy Emissions

A mitigation option category that involves any action that reduces non-energy, GHG emissions (organic waste, refrigerants, fugitive emissions, etc.).

Operational Efficiency

Any option involving improved energy efficiency through operational practices and controls and/or asset-related policy changes.

Option

Infrastructure intervention that will support infrastructure resiliency and/or decrease emissions. Options may be thought of as the solutions that can be applied to infrastructure to address impacts of and on climate change.

Permafrost Thaw

Melting of the previously frozen layer of earth which may consist of gravel, sand, organic matter, and ice.

Potable Water Infrastructure

Any infrastructure that supports drinking water treatment and distribution.

Public Transit

Mobile assets (higher occupancy shared vehicles) used to transport passengers, available for use by the general public, and may or may not be a fixed route or require fares.

Examples: government owned transit fleet, such as buses, trains

Qualitative Tools

Narrative and thematic assessments leveraged from perceptions and lived experience, for instance using anecdotal data, local knowledge and socio-economic factors to inform the identification of climate change impacts, vulnerabilities and risks, and emissions.

Quantitative Tools

An approach requiring numerical scoring or ranking using an established framework and hard data (e.g., historical climate and weather data, utility data, modelling/projections). Typically involves subject-matter experts (from a given sector or geographic location), as participants need to have a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter so that they can be confident in assigning numerical values.

Remote Community

A community that is more than 1.5 hours from the nearest urban centre.

Resilience

The capacity or ability to anticipate and cope with shocks and to recover from their impacts. In the context of climate change, it is the capacity of a system to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of hazardous climatic events while incurring minimal damage to societal wellbeing, the economy, and the environment.

Risk

The probability of harmful consequence or expected loss resulting from the interaction of a hazard with the built environment. Level of risk is determined by the characteristics of a hazard - its frequency/likelihood of occurring, and the potential consequences of it occurring. Consequences are dependent on the vulnerability of assets and people who may be impacted, as well as their level of exposure to the hazard itself.

Risk Assessment

The process in which the risk of a system (asset, community, etc) to climate hazards is calculated. Involves the assessment of vulnerabilities, exposure and climate change hazards and their likelihoods and consequences.

Rural

A community lying outside of a population centre.

Social Vulnerability Index

In general, a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) is an empirical tool that combines variables to measure the relative susceptibility of a specific subset of the population within a defined geographical boundary. A SVI combines the socio-economic variables that either directly or indirectly impact an individual’s or household’s vulnerability using proxy data. The analysis results in numerical scores, which are categorized into 1-5 levels. (Reference: Partners for Action. (2024). Inclusive resilience: A socio-economic vulnerability index(SoVI) to map flood risk for targeted communications and disaster risk reduction. Waterloo, Ontario: University of Waterloo.)

On Climate Insight the Social Vulnerability Index represents the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation (CIMD). This index consists of variables such as income, newcomer status, age, home ownership, etc. and is taken from Statistics Canada data.

Solid Waste

Assets used in the management (collection, storage, and disposal) of municipal solid waste. Does not include waste fleet assets.

Examples: garbage cans, landfills, incinerators, recycling or composting facilities

Standard

A standard is a document that is more narrow in scope than codes. We can distinguish between two types of standards depending on whether they are given the force of law:

1. Mandatory: Ones given the force of law; this occurs if a standard is referenced in a code adopted by a provincial, territorial, or municipal authority, or in a regulation.
2. Voluntary: "Good Practice" Standards; some standards do not become legal requirements but are used as the recognized articulation of "good practice"

On Climate Insight, we have included both types of standards, and the standards included have been prepared by organizations accredited by the Standards Council of Canada such as the Canadian Standards Association or Bureau de normalisation du Québec.

Stormwater Infrastructure

Any asset that supports the transport and management or treatment of runoff water from rain or snow to redirect it to either local waterways, storage and retention, or a wastewater treatment plant.

Thermal Efficiency

Any option involving reducing energy losses with improved thermal efficiency (includes building envelope, process heat, etc.)

Tightly Scoped Risk Assessment

A tightly scoped risk assessment approach is one where the assessment is carried out with a given thematic or focus area (eg. a specific asset, asset class, service area, or entire system) or one which is focused on a single hazard category. Generally faster to complete than a comprehensive risk assessment as the number of climate parameters and individuals needed to be involved are limited.

Transportation

An asset that includes any fixed asset that enables the transport of people or goods from one location to another. On Climate Insight, this excludes public transit (fleet).

Examples: roads, highways, bridges, lights, signals, road construction, bus stops, EV charging stations

Water

An asset class that includes potable water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure.

Examples: Sewage pipes (combined and separate), receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations

Wastewater Infrastructure

Any asset that supports the transport and treatment of water that has been used in residential, commercial, or industrial processes.

Wildfire

A wildfire is a hazard that is an unwanted, unplanned, and uncontrolled fire burning in a natural area (eg. Prairie, forest). The cause may be natural or human. If not put out, it may affect industrial, residential, and cultural landscapes.

Vulnerability

The tendency of exposed elements such as human beings, their livelihoods, and assets to suffer adverse effects when impacted by hazard events.