FIDIC STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE (COP 21), PARIS, NOVEMBER 2015
As the voice of the global consulting engineering profession, our Federation supports and contributes sound scientific and proven technical efforts to address global warming and climate change. The scientific evidence gathered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is clear - the problems affecting the health of the biosphere are, in great part, human-induced.
FIDIC supports all efforts made to adopt a series of measures applied across the globe to prevent a future climate scenario with irreversible effects on current conditions on Earth and endangering all types of human activity.
FIDIC is fully aware of the importance of COP 21, to be hosted by the French capital in just a few weeks, and has decided to support the Conference in the clear belief that we must ensure that all the necessary means are made available, including well planned engineering and scientific mitigation strategies to safeguard the planet on which we live and work.
The foreseeable negative effects of climate change, which include warming and acidification of our ocean waters, rising sea levels, coastal flooding, wetland deterioration, droughts, extreme storm events, and landslides are already causing damage to all types of infrastructure and agriculture, and will eventually impact on the stability of societies and people.
The consulting engineering firms grouped under the FIDIC umbrella are willing and able to provide the engineering solutions needed to address the risks arising from these effects. Effective procurement of engineering services will be critical, and all parties should be aware that selecting consulting engineering firms based on quality will be the best way to increase the chances of success.
FIDIC offers all parties the knowledge and technology required to develop and execute the most efficient and effective climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies accurately, with efficiency and integrity. In so doing, consulting engineering firms can help protect the general interest of society now and in the future.
Geneva, September 2015