Climate Proofers

What makes a company an "adaptation play?" It's a question Chris Goolgasian, Director of Climate Research and portfolio manager at the $1.2trn investment company Wellington Management, has devoted himself to in recent years. Chris oversees an investment strategy focused on stocks that should thrive as the world works to become more climate resilient — particularly those from companies that are addressing key climate risks: heat, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, water scarcity, and sea level rise. In this episode, he describes Wellington's approach to adaptation investment, talks about the challenges distinguishing signal from noise when it comes to picking adaptation stocks, and the similarities and differences relative to climate transition investing. Chris then also shares some of his long-term predictions for climate-driven shifts in the economy, from the rise of subsidized air conditioning to the future pricing of water. These mega-trends could make, or break, entire sectors of the economy. Now's the time to get wise to them. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news

How can video games drive climate resilience? Could Minecraft and Fortnite teach kids (and adults) about adapting to extreme temperatures and other punishing climate risks? Jorge Gastelumendi, Senior Director at the Atlantic Council's Climate Resilience Center, certainly thinks so. He joins Climate Proofers to talk about the newly renamed center, which has an exciting mission to reach one billion people with resilience solutions. Sounds hard, right? Jorge breaks down the three strategic pillars of the center, and its work so far engaging with the video games industry and promoting Chief Heat Officers around the world. He also shares his observations of a project close to his heart — Peru's National Carbon Registry — explaining how this sort of initiative can help restore credibility and integrity to carbon markets, which have potential to channel millions of dollars into adaptation and mitigation projects. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news

While the Los Angeles fires continue to rage, the debate on what should be done — and indeed what can be done — to prepare and protect communities from these kinds of infernos is heating up. The multiple blazes are also highlighting the frightening potential for fire risk to rip through the financial system, wrecking homeowners, insurers, and government budgets in the process. In today's episode, Frank Frievalt, Director of the Wildland-Urban Interface FIRE Institute at Cal Poly, discusses the changing nature of wildfires and urban conflagrations under climate change, and the challenges mitigating their physical and financial risks. Frank shares his professional insights on how the warming climate is contributing to fiercer fires and the difficulties motivating wildfire risk mitigation among vulnerable communities. He also offers insights on the transmission mechanisms through which growing wildfire risks could spark a new financial crisis. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news

There's one thing all adaptation professionals agree on — we need more climate data. And better climate data. And climate data people can trust. But needing is one thing. Getting is another. Julia Kumari Drapkin is pioneering a new way of collecting and analyzing climate risk data with her company ISeeChange. The startup gathers crowdsourced images and data from residents directly impacted by floods, storms, heat waves and the like, and transforms the pixels and bits into actionable information with its AI-powered software. In this episode, she explains how this fusion of human- and AI-powered data yields insights that can inform the development of climate-resilient infrastructure and help finetune local climate risk responses. Julia also opines on the importance of community engagement when it comes to climate-proofing neighborhoods, and how to build trust in climate risk communications. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news

Climate adaptation technology isn't getting a lot of love from markets right now. Extreme weather shocks may be on track to inflict some US$560bn or so of losses on listed companies every year by 2035, but so far very little early investor money is going into adaptation and resilience (A&R) solutions. That's according to new analysis by Tailwind Climate, an adaptation-focused advisory and investment firm, which last week released a 112-page playbook on A&R tech and financing. In this episode of Climate Proofers, Emilie Mazzacurati — Tailwind's Co-Founder — joins to discuss the playbook's contents, and some of its findings on government, consumer, and corporate spending on climate-proofing goods and activities. She also shares what A&R solutions have got her excited, and ideas on how to unlock many more millions of dollars for startups and innovations in this space. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news

Sharai Lewis-Gruss, managing partner at Two Degrees Adapt, discusses the tough road ahead for climate adaptation with an unsupportive administration. Jeff Schlegelmilch highlights state-level strategies critical for disaster preparedness amidst policy changes. Daniel Murphy emphasizes the need for innovative insurance approaches in extreme weather scenarios. Stacy Swann shares insights on financing climate initiatives, arguing for private sector investment as a game changer despite political barriers. Together, they explore the resilience needed to face impending climate challenges.

Wildfires are on the rampage across North America. Canada and the US are battling blazes more often and for longer periods. This fall, wildfires have burnt on East and West Coasts alike. Even New York City, that vaunted concrete jungle, has succumbed. The increase in frequency and ferocity of these disasters is one of climate change's most harrowing consequences, and is spurring governments and businesses to do more to fight back. Today's Climate Proofer is part of this effort. Jonathan Bowers is the founder of Path & Focus, a Canada-based firetech company committed to improving access to actionable wildfire data and analytics. He talks with Louie about the scale of the wildfire challenge in Canada, the value in making wildfire maps and simulations available to communities and government authorities at speed, and the gaps in the current firetech ecosystem. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news

How did COP29 advance (or obstruct) the climate adaptation agenda? While the conference produced a controversial new climate finance goal, this had little to offer developing countries working to climate-proof their populations. On the other hand, agreement on a way forward for the Global Goal on Adaptation, a central plank of the Paris Agreement, offers hope that countries will be better able to measure adaptation progress – and demand the finance, expertise, and technologies they need to round out their national adaptation plans. In this episode, Louie is joined by Ana Mulio Alvarez, a researcher focused on the UNFCCC, adaptation, and Loss and Damage at the international think tank E3G. Ana was on the ground at Baku for the entirety of the Baku summit, and has unparalleled insight into the adaptation and resilience negotiations that took place. She unpacks her adaptation wins and fails of COP29, and offers her expert opinion on whether these summits are still worth the struggle. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie.woodall@loremedia.info

In this insightful discussion, Julie Gorte, Senior Vice President for Sustainable Investing at Impax Asset Management, dives into the crucial intersection of climate risk and investment strategies. She emphasizes that investors must engage with climate adaptation to protect their portfolios from extreme weather impacts. Gorte highlights the importance of investing in companies that are climate-proofed and the potential opportunities in adaptation services. Finally, she touches on the political climate's influence on climate investments, particularly concerning future leadership.

Parametric insurance is all the rage in climate resilience circles. This is a financial product that pays out to policyholders upon a triggering event – like after a certain amount of rainfall hits an area, or if temperatures exceed a certain threshold for a number of consecutive days. Nakita Devlin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ric, a parametric insurance startup that caters to individuals caught in rainfall-induced flooding events. She talks with Louie about the current vogue for this type of insurance, why established carriers and startups alike are excited by its potential, and the tech and policy hurdles – and opportunities – she faces. Nakita also discusses how parametric insurance fits in with the broader ecosystem of climate solutions, and the importance of community-based resilience. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie.woodall@loremedia.info