The CAST (Climate Adaptation Support Tool) system was developed in the IRIS (Improve Resilience of Industry Sector) project, co-funded by the European LIFE program. In response to the effects induced by Climate Change, the project aims to improve the resilience of the industrial sector through methods and solutions transferable to all EU countries, promoting adaptation actions in synergy with environmental policies. IRIS aims to support companies, especially SMEs, that are increasingly confronted in recent years with climate events of extraordinary magnitude, which threaten production and facilities or compromise the functionality of land infrastructure.
Product functionality
CAST consists of a screening tool to help companies assess their vulnerability due to climate change induced risks and allows them to identify adaptation measures and evaluate their effectiveness. CAST has been tested in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy Region at several companies in the province of Modena and Ferrara and by Carlsberg (beer supply chain) in the province of Varese. The tool is a web application that can analyze the risk taking into account past weather events and future scenarios, allows to identify appropriate adaptation measures based on the main vulnerabilities of the company.
A risk analysis related to climate change was carried out for each cluster; based on the risk analysis, a Climate Adaptation Action Plan was created for each of the clusters; financial/insurance mechanisms based on rewarding criteria for resilient enterprises or those belonging to resilient clusters were designed; and a web portal containing climate adaptation tools was created.
TerrAria was involved in the development of this tool and also served on the Steering Committee.
