Technical Notes on Climate Adaptation in Civil and Environmental Engineering
ASCE Committee on Adaptation to a Changing Climate
Climate Adaptation Engineering Bulletin No. 6
The Evolving Climate Resilience Standard of Care in the Engineering Profession
Practicing engineers are in the process of dealing with a new reality as climate conditions affecting design are non-stationary and subject to continuing change in the future. This is contrary to the historic view that climate has been stationary and not changing. Part of that new reality is that the standard of care will continue to evolve over time as engineering practice adapts to changing climate conditions.
What is the Standard of Care?
The standard of care is a legal concept applicable to the engineering profession and is defined in the Engineers’ Joint Contract Documents Committee standard contract documents (EJCDC adopted by ASCE, ACEC and NSPE) as requiring engineers to provide services with the skill and care ordinarily used in the profession under similar circumstances at the same time as the services were provided and in the same locality. Similar language appears in most engineering services contracts. Although meeting the specific requirements of codes and other regulatory requirements is typically one component, there are not rigid definitions of the standard of care in any specific circumstance. The legal standard of care is typically established by expert testimony in individual court cases applying a “reasonableness test” and establishing common practices at that time and place. In 2025, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) published a Commentary on Climate Change and the Engineer’s Standard of Care addressing liability considerations related to climate change (ACEC-Commentary-on-Climate-Change-8-15-25.pdf) which is informative from a liability perspective.
Change in the engineering standard of care has been common over time as technical practices, technologies, materials and general knowledge change. Change in common practices is typically gradual, and the establishment of documented, illustrative court cases occurs well after the change in common practice has occurred. With respect to climate adaptation and resilience, practicing engineers are faced with anticipating what the evolving legal standard of care will be in the future. This is complicated by the fact that most cases are settled out of court without public records, thus limiting documentation of the standard of care as it evolves.
Engineering Codes of Ethics
Engineering codes of ethics and policies adopted by national engineering organizations can establish professional responsibilities but do not necessarily reflect the “skill and care ordinarily used”. The ASCE Code of Ethics (ASCE Code of Ethics) doesn’t directly mention climate resilience, but it does read, in part, “Engineers govern their professional careers on the following fundamental principles:… create safe, resilient and sustainable infrastructure”. Resilient infrastructure which is defined in other ASCE standards and policies does not explicitly reference climate change, but includes resilience, which is widely interpreted to encompass climate adaptation.
NSPE’s (National Society of Professional Engineers) code of ethics (NSPECodeofEthicsforEngineers.pdf) is less explicit regarding resilience or climate adaptation, focusing more broadly on sustainable development principles, with a footnoted definition of sustainable development from an environmental perspective that does not mention climate or resilience.
ASCE Policy on Climate Change
ASCE Policy 360 (Policy Statement 360 - Climate change | ASCE) indicates ASCE support for change in government policies and regulations, cooperative research and development among engineers and climate scientists, and informing practicing engineers, decision-makers and the public on climate resilience topics. The policy emphasizes advocacy, research, and education, but currently stops short of explicitly recommending basic resilience related changes to professional practice.
WFEO Model Code of Practice
The World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) modified its Model Code of Practice regarding climate adaptation and resilience in 2025 (WFEO_Code_of_Practice-Climate_Adaptation_and_Resilience-Guideline_Summary-Nov2025.pdf). U.S. engineering organizations generally do not have codes of practice, so this has not been adopted or made applicable in the U.S. It is aspirational and does not reflect the current legal standard of care as described herein, but the fifteen point summary presented in the link above might be indicative of what the U.S. legal standard of care might transition toward in the coming decades. Such commendable engineering practices are a totally different topic from the slowly changing legal standard of care.
Anticipating the Evolving Standard of Care
Professional practices and responsibilities, and the legal standard of care, regarding climate adaptation and resilience are likely to be a moving target throughout the careers of most practicing engineers. Staying ahead of that curve will require updating knowledge and perspective, understanding uncertainty of projections, being cognizant of the potential for the need for climate adaptation on each project, committing to advising project decision-makers on climate resilience matters, documenting climate related project decisions , and applying adaptive design where appropriate. Doing so as a professional responsibility provides assurance of meeting an evolving legal standard of care.
Engineering Bulletins on Climate Adaptation in Civil and Environmental Engineering are prepared by the American Society of Civil Engineers Committee on Adaptation to a Changing Climate (CACC), Dan Walker, Ph.D., and Craig Musselman, P.E., editors, who are responsible for its content. Input was provided by Chris Stone, P.E. Manuscripts are reviewed by assigned members of the CACC Committee on Climate Intelligence in Standards and Practice. NOTE: These Engineering Bulletins are intended to alert the reader to emerging topics related to climate change and civil engineering practice and are NOT intended to act as a substitute for any sources cited herein.