"The OCARA method is a solid foundation for analysis."
Anne Laprelle is a Project Manager for Territorial Resilience at Bordeaux Métropole, the second-largest metropolitan area under common law, which comprises 28 municipalities and more than 840,000 residents. Since the physical impacts of climate change are particularly evident in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, adaptation is more than necessary in the region.
It was in this context that Anne took the training course “Adapting Your Organization to Climate Change—the OCARA Method” in January 2025 to build her expertise on this complex topic and to follow the development of the resilience plan being created by Bordeaux Métropole. Testimonial.
Can you tell us about your professional background before the training?
I joined Bordeaux Métropole a year ago, initially in an events role that involved organizing a “Resilience Day” program aimed at raising public awareness about the risks of climate change and the vulnerabilities associated with those risks.
I was then offered a position as a Regional Resilience Project Manager—a role with a more technical focus—which I accepted and still hold today.
At the same time, the metropolitan area adopted a resilience plan to reduce the region’s vulnerabilities and preserve the livability of its territory, based on three pillars: protecting and ensuring the safety of people and property, preserving the health of living organisms (including ecosystems and mental health), and ensuring the continuity of life and activities. The OCARA method, developed by Carbone 4, is an integral part of this third pillar. The metropolitan area was already familiar with OCARA because a project for Keolis, our urban public transportation service, was carried out using this method.
It was in this context that we decided to take the training course “Adapting Your Organization to Climate Change” together with another colleague (who specializes in crisis management), so that we could implement the OCARA method across the metropolitan area’s public services, starting with four departments: waste management, district heating, IT systems, and gas and electricity.
What were your professional challenges at that time?
The resilience plan was approved by the metropolitan council on June 6, 2025. To date, 137 measures to be implemented have been decided upon, and their implementation is underway. It was therefore important for me to build a solid foundation of knowledge on the subject of resilience.
I earned a master’s degree in environmental management and worked for a few months at the CNRS on a former gold mine in the Aude region that poses a major water pollution problem; so I have knowledge of climate-related hazards, particularly flood risk, but my department felt it would be useful for me to undergo training in the OCARA method to acquire skills specifically tailored to the resilience plan.
What aspects of the training made the biggest impression on you?
I enjoyed the training as a whole: I found it very interesting to interact in the virtual classrooms with people who had different perspectives and backgrounds. On paper, the other learners’ profiles were quite different from mine—they worked in private companies, mostly in CSR teams—but I realized that everyone, regardless of their background, has questions about adaptation and vulnerability.
I also really enjoyed working on concrete case studies. I found the practical application interesting and well-structured. Overall, OCARA is a solid foundation for analysis that allowed us to broaden our horizons by asking questions, such as: What would happen at the metropolitan level if, in the future, waste management were negatively impacted by the physical risks of climate change and we were no longer able to provide this service to users?
How have you applied what you learned in the training to your job or within your organization?
The first step for us was to hold informational meetings with strategic management teams, and then to apply the OCARA method within the public services [that I mentioned earlier]. To do this, we are in contact with the officials in charge of these various public services, who in turn manage the relationship with the service providers. For example, we have implemented the OCARA method on one of the district heating networks. We met with the technicians and are able to collect the data needed for risk analysis using OCARA. The challenge we face is the necessary “translation” process: simplifying the method for our staff is essential so that the terminology and issues are understood by everyone.
Once the initial analysis of the district heating network is complete, we will draw key lessons from it regarding timing and organization so that we can replicate the method for other public services and develop a robust and consistent tentative schedule. I’m not working full-time on this project, which is why it’s so important to stay well-organized!
Have you seen any tangible results?
In terms of my knowledge of adaptation and resilience, I truly have a better understanding of these topics, which allows me to simplify the information for our staff. This work also saves us time. In fact, what I love about this assignment is that it allows me to develop skills in areas where I wasn’t an expert before, such as waste management, for example. It’s truly rewarding.
Have you been able to raise awareness or provide training to other colleagues on these topics?
Not necessarily my colleagues, since they’re working on other topics; however, I’ve discussed the OCARA method with the Bordeaux Métropole Water Authority and other local stakeholders. There’s a real sense of enthusiasm and growing awareness about this issue.
Who would you recommend this training course to, and why?
I think the training is interesting if you really want to understand the concept of vulnerability and what it means for a company. In terms of business continuity, it’s crucial!
The training program is well-structured, alternating between virtual online classes and e-learning modules on the platform: this flexibility is great, and you can really tailor it to your work schedule. Thanks to Alice, who was attentive and helpful throughout the entire training program!