Climate-Driven Solutions

Forward-looking companies are taking proactive approaches toward long-term resilience challenges—from supply chain disruptions to shifting regulatory landscapes—that will help safeguard performance while strengthening stakeholder confidence, giving them a competitive edge.

As we recognize and participate in NYC Climate Week 2025, WSP in the U.S. shares insights about the importance of prioritizing resources effectively to make informed decisions where new technologies, climate shifts and societal pressures converge:

• Sofia Berger, Earth and Environment business executive
• Carrie Grassi, New York/Northeast region lead, Resilience
• Daniel Socha, Global Sustainability Services lead

What innovations in our industry do you think will have the most profound impact in fostering more climate resilient infrastructure?

Sofia Berger

Berger: The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) with rapidly evolving comprehensive data models—those capturing future climate change scenarios as well as those utilizing risk intelligence to project atmospheric conditions and physical hazards such as future flooding—is a game-changer for planning and siting optimization of resilient infrastructure. Multi-disciplinary teams using this “intelligent data” from the earliest phase of development (as we have shown with our own GoldSET tool) will ultimately achieve more successful decision-making with clients and partners, considering critical infrastructure from energy generation to transportation to commercial and residential buildings to data centers, all required to withstand a changing climate for decades into the future. Moreover, fostering more climate resilient infrastructure increasingly requires consideration of important perspectives outside of our industry. The ability to effectively collaborate with construction, financial and legal industries, to name a few, is crucial to reaching more resilient and bankable solutions that mitigate physical and transition risk.

Grassi: The increasing recognition of the dynamic and intensifying nature of extreme events, alongside improved data collection and the development of advanced analytical methodologies to inform design and operational decisions, represent significant progress. These advancements are further enhanced by the adoption of digital twin technologies, which allow organizations to simulate, analyze and visualize the impacts of extreme events. Collectively, these tools facilitate more sophisticated discussions and targeted strategies, enabling infrastructure leaders to gain deeper insights into potential climate impacts, and respond effectively to real-world challenges.

Socha: The integration of advanced technologies—things like high-resolution climate modeling, real-time forecasting and digital twins in engineering and design—are helping our teams evaluate risks and make informed decisions about resilience and adaptation measures. But it’s not just about tech—it’s about scale. We need systems-level thinking to move from pilots to real-world impact, driving resilience and lower-carbon solutions across the board. Importantly, we need to clearly demonstrate the social and economic benefits of digital solutions for resilience, whether improving livelihoods, enhancing efficiency or mitigating financial losses.

What digital tools, financing models and integrated strategies should we watch closely to improve how we design, govern and scale future-ready infrastructure?

Carrie Grassi

Grassi: Financial institutions and asset operators increasingly recognize climate risk not just as an operational concern but having a quantifiable financial implication. By systematically assessing costs associated with operational disruptions, system-wide impacts and loss of service, agencies can present compelling arguments for resilience investments. Modern digital evaluation tools empower us to quantify impacts and benefits of these investments.

If infrastructure failure threatens to damage neighborhood businesses, the resulting economic and community costs can be clearly articulated. Presenting these effects in financial terms strengthens the case for resilience funding and encourages a holistic approach to design and governance.

Socha: Real transformation comes from knowing when and how to deploy the right fit-for-purpose digital tools. We should closely watch for technologies that truly enhance resilience and economic and social value in a meaningful way. Many of these meaningful strategies will stem from innovative cross-industry partnership. Bringing together disciplines can unlock tangible and scalable solutions that address challenges from a systems view. To this end, this year we announced our global strategic partnership with Microsoft to accelerate digital transformation in the architecture, engineering and construction industry.

Daniel, you mentioned emerging digital technologies. Considering the rapidly increasing demand for computing power, how can we think about climate risks facing U.S. data centers?

Daniel Socha

Socha: Data centers in the U.S. should certainly assess operational risks associated with increasing physical climate hazards, such as increasing severe weather, extreme heat and flooding. The rapid development of data centers is driving increased demand for reliable energy.

The interconnection between technology, data centers and energy is rife with opportunities to create system-level resilience solutions. Data center developers and operators can unlock many of these opportunities by working collaboratively with communities, utilities and public entities.

Sofia, to follow up, how can vulnerabilities related to data centers impact communities and businesses—and what are likely scenarios to help prevent that impact?

Berger: As data centers provide the horsepower to unlock the tremendous potential that AI and cloud computing hold for improving communities and businesses, it is important to consider that as interconnectivity between data centers, communities and businesses is facilitating more efficient solutions that improve quality of life, this increasing interconnectivity reveals a pronounced need for data center infrastructure to be resilient in the face of a changing climate. The success of critical systems our communities and businesses rely upon will ultimately be determined by the resiliency of data centers. Smarter siting, planning and due diligence can mitigate risk and proactively address vulnerabilities of physical data center infrastructure.

Climate change is anticipated to further exacerbate the system inputs critical for data center performance, such as power and water. Innovating data center design to more efficiently utilize power and water, including integrating more sustainable technologies in energy generation and cooling systems, addresses this vulnerability and results in a positive multiplier for communities and businesses: more reliable AI and cloud solutions while reducing strain on the grid and water infrastructure.

What are forward-thinking organizations doing today to encourage resiliency and better prepare themselves for infrastructure changes?

Grassi: Future-ready organizations are creating comprehensive resilience programs that define and understand risks, communicate those risks effectively and establish governance structures that better respond to the interdisciplinary nature of resilience work. These practices foster a culture of resilience that adapts to the evolving and dynamic challenges climate change presents. By prioritizing data-driven decision-making, transparent risk communication, stakeholder engagement and targeted investments, organizations are better prepared for future changes.

Berger: When we think about resiliency in the face of necessary infrastructure changes, we should think of the resiliency of our own profession as well. How are we planning to incorporate and develop new tools that make our work more efficient? How should we attract and train a workforce to leverage these tools? Despite rapid evolution of technology, engineers and scientists will always be needed to solve the world’s evolving challenges.

Organizations must continue to embrace collaboration and continuous learning, inspiring young engineers by showing them the public value of infrastructure work and encouraging them to see past execution challenges to the enduring impact of their efforts. Staying focused on the mission, streamlining processes and remaining adaptable to new tools and regulations will help position all of us to meet future challenges and build resilient systems.

Carrie, do initiatives have to be costly to be effective?

Grassi: It is a common misconception that effective resilience initiatives must be expensive. Effectiveness stems from developing a data informed strategic approach and being thoughtful about resource allocation rather than the scale of expenditure alone. Enhanced risk assessments, improved maintenance protocols or better stakeholder engagement allow organizations to make decisions with the right context, ensuring resources are invested where they have genuine impact. By focusing on measurable goals and adaptable solutions, organizations can make their infrastructure more resilient and prevent costly damages and disruptions without breaking the bank.

Sofia, can you offer 1-2 tangible pieces of advice that WSP is offering clients to prepare for and navigate shifting climate regulations?

Berger: This has certainly been an important topic for our clients over the past few years, so the first piece of advice is to stay informed! The climate regulatory environment continues to evolve quickly locally, nationally and internationally. It’s essential to stay informed about jurisdiction-specific legislative developments and incorporate relevant timelines and reporting requirements into your program planning to ensure readiness.

The second piece of advice is to think beyond the regulations. If we think of codes as regulations, many code development bodies are trying to make their codes less static and more adaptive, but this is difficult to implement and takes time. However, the past decade has seen the development of large amounts of data and an increased capability to better define the conditions anticipated over the lifecycle of an investment, which can support innovations in more effective decisions for the facilities/infrastructure. Asset owners can now model possible outcomes and define the most resilient program that not only meets codes but thinks more wholistically to ensure effective, efficient and uninterrupted service.