The benefits of adaptation far outweigh its costs, yet the world today spends just one-third of what’s needed to protect everyone exposed to hazards to developed-economy standards. With warming projected to reach 2°C by 2050, this research gives a pixel-level, geospatial look at what that warmer world really means, which regions are most exposed, and what adapting to extreme weather events would look like.
The session featured an overview of the report findings by author Mekala Krishnan; a fireside chat with Sylvain Johansson and Andreas Berger, Group Chief Executive Officer, Swiss Re; and a panel discussion moderated by Olivia White with:
- Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Standard Chartered
- Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
- Kathleen McLaughlin, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Walmart Inc.
Questions discussed during the event included:
- Investment still isn’t happening at the scale needed. What can be done to increase investment?
- What is the single most important lesson that emerges from experience implementing or financing adaptation efforts?
- If organizations were to take one concrete action in the next year to advance adaptation, what should it be?
- What can different stakeholders do to push the adaptation agenda forward?
For more on this topic, please watch the virtual event recording and read our report, Advancing adaptation: Mapping costs from cooling to coastal defenses.