Rising Temperature: The Risks of Climate Change to Business
Earthwatch scientist, Dr Dan Bebber, discusses the risks of climate change to business in the October edition of StrategicRISK magazine.
From agricultural production to changes in the weather, most businesses will be exposed to climate change. But with its risks clouded by uncertainty, how do they reduce that exposure?
Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humankind. But it also represents one of the most uncertain, unpredictable risks, and while there is a broad consensus that we face enormous challenges, quite what those will be remain a matter of debate.
"It's very hard to establish the risk", says environmental NGO Earthwatch head of climate research Dr Daniel Bebber, who works with HSBC on climate issues. "The central issue is uncertainty". But the limits of scientific knowledge are only the beginning of the problem, and our understanding of the risk is further complicated by the difficulties in mapping human response to change. Whatever the outcome, there will undoubtedly be opportunities in adaptation. "For example, in developing new crop varieties better able to cope with drought and temperature extremes," says Bebber. "Or - providing governments and the international community agree on the right legislation - carbon markets, as well as sequestration and alternative technologies."
Climate change brings winemaking woes
Wine is one of the most iconic European products; not only an exportable and profitable industry but, for many, a foundation of the civilisation that has shaped life on the continent with pronounced regional trends.
Over the centuries, grape varieties have acquired strong associations with particular areas - in French the word 'terroir' is used to denote the special characteristics a bottle acquires from local geography, climate and geology. But all that could be about to change as climate change bites...
View the full StrategicRISK article.