Adapting to Climate Change - Trexler, Mark

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Résumé :
Most companies do not yet recognize what it means to adapt to future climate change, and do not yet see it as a business priority. Adapting to Climate Change tackles two key questions facing decision makers: 1) Is adaptation worth it to me? and 2) If it is worth it, can I really tackle it? If a company has reason to worry about the potential impacts of weather on its operations and supply chains, it probably has cause to worry about climate change. However, adapting to the weather is not the same as incorporating climate change adaptation into corporate planning. In the former a company is managing conditions they are already experiencing. The latter involves preparing for forecasted impacts of climate change. Focusing on today's weather and not tomorrow's climate leaves a lot of risk on the table, especially if the climate continues to change faster than many climate models have projected. The uncertainties associated with forecasting climate change on a timeframe and at a scale that is relevant to corporate decision making can appear daunting. It is not necessary, however, to have perfect information to advance corporate preparedness for and resilience to climate change. Companies can improve their ability to make robust decisions under conditions of uncertainty without perfect information. A Bayesian approach to reducing uncertainty over time can cost-effectively support companies in understanding and managing many potential climate risks and can avoid the need to depend on future predictions. Instead, initial effort can focus on where a company will have confidence in its analysis and the ability to influence its level of risk, namely in assessing its exposure and vulnerability to climate hazards. As the hazards themselves become more clear, risk management strategies can be quickly adapted....

Biographie:
DR MARK C. TREXLER has 25 years of experience advising companies on climate change risks. He joined the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC in 1988, working on the first carbon offset projects. He founded Trexler Climate + Energy Services (TC+ES) in 1991, the first consultancy to specialize in corporate climate risk management. TC+ES chalked up a lot of 'firsts', including many more of the early carbon offset projects, the first corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, the first corporate climate risk management strategies, and the first climate neutral products and services. Mark has worked with companies around the world, including many electric utility and oil and gas companies, and has served as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Mark was Director of Climate Risk for Det Norske Veritas from 2009 to 2012. LAURA KOSLOFF has worked as an environmental attorney since 1985, including as Associate Editor of the Environmental Law Reporter in Washington, DC, as a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice, as General Counsel to Trexler Climate + Energy Services (TC+ES), and as Associate General Counsel to EcoSecurities Group plc. In her General Counsel roles she supported teams of more than 20 climate change consultants, managing all contract negotiations as well as wide-ranging HR and IP issues across offices in multiple countries. Laura was the first Chair of the American Bar Association's Climate Change Committee, and has served in numerous leadership capacities within the organization, most recently chairing the group's annual meeting.

Sommaire:
Introduction * Climate Change Adaptation - an Overview * What will we have to adapt to? * Limits to Adaptation? * Setting the Business Stage for Adaptation * The Growing Recognition of Adaptation as a Business Need * A Closer Look at Business Adaptation Challenges and Needs * Barriers to Corporate Climate Change Adaptation * Climate Change Mitigation vs. Climate Change Adaptation * Adapting to the Weather or to Climate Change? * What Does Adapting to Climate Change Require? * The Basics of Forecasting Climate Change * Addressing Forecast Uncertainty in Adaptation Planning * Decision Making Uncertainty in Adaptation Planning * An Adaptive Approach to Climate Risk Management * Adapt to the Weather And to Climate Change * The Practicalities of Climate Change Adaptation Planning * The Importance of Executive Leadership * Conclusions * NOTES