the mif blog

In addition to increasing temperatures and rising sea levels, global climate change represents a complex exercise for the great majority of businesses, which must frame the meaning, the costs, and the business and investment opportunities associated with this ongoing phenomenon.

The UNFCCC’s COP22 will take place in Marrakech, Morocco from 7-18 November 2016, the focus of which is to bring action to last year’s historic Paris Agreement and have countries ratify their agreements by identifying INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) and NAPs (National Adaptation Plans).  While this official process will be discussed inside the official UN Blue Zone, numerous simultaneous side events are taking place outside, organized by UN agencies, multilateral development organizations, civil society and ONGs, research institutions, think-tanks, and other stakeholders, offering discussions on topics that range from energy efficiency and green infrastructure, building bridges between market-based approaches and climate financing institutions, de-carbonizing transport, Water-Energy-Food (WEF) frameworks, among many others.  See more at http://cop22.ma/en

How does the private sector anticipate and build climate resilience in the face of increasing risks, such as cyclonic winds, flooding and storm surge, drought, heat waves, sea level rise and wildfires?  Answering this question depends very much on whom you ask. In public policy circles, private actors are often characterized as relatively unconcerned about the threat of climate change, more focused on short-term financial results, and discounting climate risk as an issue in the distant future. 

Foto por Ben Bowes 

Hoy en día, más de 3,7 mil millones de personas viven en las ciudades. Se espera que esta cifra se duplique hacia 2050, haciendo que las ciudades enfrenten múltiples retos a futuro para ser más sostenibles y resilientes frente a riesgos climáticos y desastres naturales. 

Households, businesses, and communities everywhere are vulnerable to a growing array of risks related to climate change. These risks arise as a result of climate variability, caused primarily by the long-term emission of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide. Climate risks are manifold: floods, drought, extreme winds, heat waves, sea level rise, invasive pests, and wildfires, among others. Understandably, extreme weather events such as hurricanes and major floods receive the most attention. But longer-term, incremental changes (such as in temperature and precipitation patterns) can be at least as costly and can threaten our very survival—endangering our food supply, water and energy security, health, businesses, livelihoods, and human settlements.