Climate Change – Community of Metros Benchmarking Group

In the last five years, more than half of COMET metros have been impacted by flooding (74%), high winds/storms (62%) and extreme heat (50%), and many have also been impacted by cold weather and snow (45%), drought (22%) and wildfire (16%). Concerningly, three quarters of metros have noticed an increase in weather events impacting metro operations in recent years. These events pose significant risks to metro infrastructure, operations and the safety of passengers and staff.

*Factors Making a Metro Vulnerable to Extreme Weather*

The latest COMET study on Preparing for Extreme Weather and Climate Change reviews how member metros prepare for and manage upcoming periods of extreme weather and their plans to adapt infrastructure and operations in the longer term to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is an approach to sustainability that reflects social responsibility and care of employees in addition to environmental impacts. It is a concept that is influencing companies around the world, who are motivated by climate change and changing societal expectations.

The first and foremost motivation for studying ESG across COMET members is the intensifying climate change crisis. As transport is a major contributor to carbon emissions, there are discussions on how to decarbonise all forms of transport. From the societal perspective, there are shifting attitudes and expectations about inclusivity, transparency, and transport as a social good, to which the information age has brought greater awareness.

The study are compiles metros’ ESG policies and strategies and explores the measurement and monitoring tools used by member metros as well as the challenges and lessons learned from implementation. It reviews policies, initiatives, and data in selected areas of focus such as energy, environment, diversity, and public engagement.

Research: Preparing for Extreme Weather and Climate Change

Research: Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors in Metros