ICF International is the premier company providing expertise, knowledge, and tools to prepare its clients for the threats and opportunities associated with climate change.
Effects of global climate change are already being observed on coastlines, ecosystems, and human systems worldwide. Resource managers, businesses, and communities will increasingly face the challenge of integrating changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level, and extreme events into their decision making and planning for the future.
ICF has had a presence in climate change policy and research since the late 1980s, when we helped the U.S. Federal Government prepare its first inventory of greenhouse gases. Since that time, we have carefully aligned our growing staff of policy analysts, atmospheric scientists, ecologists, water resource experts, economists, engineers, land-use planners, and environmental scientists to provide the diverse expertise needed to understand and address the climate issues of today and tomorrow.
With offices in more than 40 cities, ICF’s international presence offers world-class expertise in climate change. ICF helps its clients frame the issue of climate change in the context of their overall priorities and goals.
Impacts, Vulnerability, & Adaptation Services
ICF provides an array of climate change analytical and assessment services. We assist our clients with scientific, economic, technical, and policy analysis of impacts and adaptation, and the development of risk management strategies and vulnerability frameworks.
ICF's approach to this work is multidisciplinary, drawing on expertise in atmospheric science, economics, engineering, environmental policy, ecology, and stakeholder communications. Our experienced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) lab supports our technical analyses. GIS staff develop maps and models that help represent climate change scenarios and identify potential vulnerabilities.
We also provide our climate change clients with a broad range of communications, outreach, graphic design, and meeting/facilitation support. In many cases, our approach leverages ICF staff located across the United States and the world, recognizing that climate change adaptation is fundamentally an issue that must leverage high-level policies and tools, but will ultimately require local implementation support.
ICF provides a comprehensive suite of services to a range of clients:
Climate Change Sectors
Effects of climate change are already being experienced in the United States and worldwide. In developing countries and rural communities, rising sea levels and changes in precipitation patterns are threatening food supplies and lifestyles. In developing countries, the effects of climate change are challenging long-standing production techniques, markets, job opportunities, and habits.
ICF helps its clients understand and manage the risks associated with climate change for ecosystems, water resources, transportation, coastal infrastructure and resources, power generation, and human health and welfare.
ICF provides support in many of the specific sectors susceptible to the physical effects of climate change:
Ecosystems
Ecosystems that are already under stress due to practices such as overfishing, pollution and deforestation are especially vulnerable to climate impacts. The existing stressors may interact with climate impacts to create larger damages than those occurring in more resilient ecosystems.
Water Resources
Water resources are particularly vulnerable to many of the projected impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise, reduction in snowpack, changes in precipitation patterns, and increased storm intensity. Government agencies, businesses, and other entities involved in management of water resources should consider climate impacts in management planning.
Transportation
Transportation infrastructure may be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise, increased air temperatures, and changes in precipitation and storm intensity. Government agencies and transportation organizations will need increasing support in analyzing risk and developing adaptation options in the future.
Coastal Resources and Systems
Coastal systems are particularly vulnerable to many of the projected impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise, increased sea surface and air temperatures, changes in precipitation and storm intensity, and ocean acidification. Government agencies, businesses and other entities involved in the management of coastal resources should consider climate impacts in management planning.
Energy Supply and Demand
Changes in heating and cooling needs due to climate changes will affect both energy supply and energy demand. Adaptation within the energy section may include changes in energy-use behavior or energy production technologies.
Human Health and Welfare
Climate impacts, such as flooding and heat waves, extreme weather events, and drought, may have effects on human health and welfare. Climate change can also affect health through social and economic disruption. Understanding the potential impacts on health and developing approaches to communicate and lessen the impacts will be of critical importance.
Selected Clients in Impacts, Vulnerability, & Adaptation
ICF's clients in this focal area span the public and private sectors in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Russia. We have worked with decision-makers at all levels—from natural resource managers at the park or estuary level to federal administrators—to integrate the risks of climate change into ongoing decision-making and planning. ICF clients include:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- U.S. Department of Transportation
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- National Park Service
- UK Environment Agency
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- African Development Bank (AfDB)
- UK Department for International Development (UK DFID)
- California Energy Commission
- European Commission
- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
