Sarah Kapnick

Dr. Sarah Kapnick, Global Head of Climate Advisory at J.P. Morgan and former chief scientist at NOAA, shares her insights on the evolving energy landscape. She discusses how global politics, driven by renewable resources, affect decarbonization efforts. The conversation dives into the importance of blending adaptation and mitigation strategies in climate policy. They explore North America's shift from fossil fuels to renewables and compare U.S. and China's paths in clean technology, highlighting the need for stable investments to foster innovation.

Sarah Kapnick, the Global Head of Climate Advisory at JPMorgan, is a trailblazer in combining climate science with financial strategy. She discusses the urgent need for businesses to embrace 'climate intuition' to better assess risks that could lead to significant financial losses. Kapnick also highlights the influence of climate resilience on product redesign and investment decisions. Additionally, she addresses the critical data gaps in risk assessments and the importance of proactive adaptation for companies aiming to thrive in a climate-challenged economy.

The energy industry influences climate change, and climate change also influences the energy industry. Understanding the consequences of a warming world is essential for making the right decisions as trillions of dollars are invested in energy production around the world. While we work to mitigate climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, we also need to adapt to the changes that we cannot prevent. On the Energy Gang today, Ed Crooks and Melissa Lott are joined by Dr Sarah Kapnick from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA collects data from a fleet of satellites, buoys, weather stations and balloons, and uses the information to try to understand our changing world. Its data and modelling on global warming and its impacts is increasingly being used to inform decisions on renewable investment, emergency planning, technology and more. Melissa also works on these issues in her role as Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. How do we collect climate data? What impacts of climate change have we seen already, and what can we expect to see in the future? How can we use the information we have to make the best decisions when it comes to curtailing carbon emissions? Climate change was a significant factor in the huge wildfires that hit the US West Coast in recent years, because of two decades of abnormally low precipitation. Dr Kapnick explains how that should influence companies’ and regulators’ decisions about investment and risk management. Wind power generation in Europe was hit by unexpectedly low wind strength in 2021. Climate data and models can inform companies facing these kinds of problems, and should help them plan their investments and operations more effectively, so they can keep the lights on while holding costs down. All this and more on a special climate-focused edition of the Energy Gang. As always, check out our Twitter to let us know your thoughts and any future topics you want us to discuss. We’re @TheEnergyGang. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.