by Brianna Crandall — September 17, 2010—U.K. business organization CBI (Confederation of British Industry) launched a new report on September 13 calling for the British government to make its environmental data more easily available to help businesses prepare for the risks of climate change.
Whatever the Weather: Managing the Risks from a Changing Climate calls for climate change projections to be published in a more accessible format, and the creation of a new public information bank showing the risk to critical infrastructure. Together these would help firms plan for rising temperatures and the risks of extreme weather, says CBI.
The report also includes key recommendations for businesses:
- Companies should include an evaluation of climate risk in their overall assessment of business risks.
- Climate adaptation strategies should focus on actions that fit within broader sustainability strategies and that deliver savings (in resource use and running costs) in their own right.
- Climate risk evaluation should cover six key areas: supply chains, assets, operations, markets, regulatory compliance and business reputation.
- Climate exposure should be clearly identified and included in corporate reporting.
- Non-commercially sensitive climate adaptation information should be shared by companies to avoid an inconsistent approach between different sectors.
