Climate Proofers

In this insightful discussion, Bill Green, a veteran infrastructure investor and Managing Partner at Climate Adaptive Infrastructure, shares his expertise on building resilient systems in response to climate challenges. He outlines a unique investment methodology for assessing climate risks while highlighting the importance of collaboration in decision-making. Bill discusses the financial implications of climate adaptive projects, innovative ideas like 'water as a service,' and the interconnected risks that infrastructure faces today. His perspective is invaluable for those interested in sustainable investments.

Extreme heat wrecks lives and livelihoods throughout the Global South. Women are especially vulnerable to high temperatures because of an array of physiological, cultural, and economic factors – but also find it harder to access the resources needed to increase their resilience to this peril. Climate Resilience For All is a non-profit dedicated to the protection of women and vulnerable communities from extreme heat and all its impacts. Their tagline is: "When women are climate resilient, we will all be climate resilient," reflecting a belief that by supporting women against heat impacts we can strengthen communities as a whole. Kathy Baughman McLeod, the CEO of Climate Resilience For All, joins today's episode to talk about how the group came about, the importance of promoting heat resilience among women, and what financial solutions are proving effective at supporting vulnerable populations. 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

Michael Berkowitz is spreading the gospel of climate resilience across academic disciplines, communities, and industries. As Executive Director of the Climate Resilience Academy at the University of Miami, he's responsible for driving problem-driven research and education on climate adaptation and resilience and training the next generation of climate proofers. In this episode, he talks about the idea of "resilience dividends" — the spillover benefits that come from investing in resilience — and the ways in which they can be captured and monetized by private and public actors. He also explores why Miami has emerged as a hub for climate resilience companies and takes us through some of the adaptation innovations being pioneered in southern Florida. 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

There are few champions of the adaptation economy with a resume like Jay Koh. The storied investor racked up years in the financial industry before serving as Chief Investment Strategist at what is now the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Koh now leads The Lightsmith Group, a global investment platform laser-focused on opportunities in the emerging adaptation economy. The private equity firm boasts a range of investments in climate-proofing technologies covering agriculture, wildfire, water, and more. He sits down with Louie to talk about how the adaptation investment landscape has transformed in recent years, to describe Lightsmith's investment thesis, and explain why investing in climate adaptation is a far surer bet than wagering on interest rates, inflation – and even Taylor Swift's next boyfriend! 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

Technology is crucial in the effort to prepare for, and protect from, climate risks. However, we're still in the early stages of figuring out how to think about climate adaptation technology (or 'CAT') as an investment category – and how to direct early-stage capital into this vital space. John Robinson, a technology investor with Mazarine Ventures, joins this week's Climate Proofers to talk about his research into CAT, and go over the findings of Mazarine's surveys of early-stage investors on this crucial theme. Louie and John also discuss water-related climate adaptation tech, one of the hottest CAT subcategories, and dive into the market initiatives, public policies, and regulatory efforts that could spur greater engagement by VCs in climate-proofing activities. Learn more about Mazarine Ventures at www.mazarineventures.com 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

Africa is a magnet for climate risks – from floods to droughts to storms like Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which displaced half a million people in Malawi last year. However, the continent's vulnerability has also made it a hotbed of climate adaptation. Thousands are joining (or starting) businesses to climate-proof the continent – and investors are taking note. In this week's episode, Louie is joined by Maëlis Carraro, managing partner at The Catalyst Fund, a pre-seed VC fund and accelerator that supports African climate adaptation startups. They discuss how Catalyst started, the importance of adaptation-focused funds, and what startups are making waves throughout the African continent. They also get into the landscape for blended finance and what needs to be done to crowd more private capital into climate adaptation companies. Learn more about The Catalyst Fund at www.thecatalystfund.com. 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

US home insurers suffered their worst underwriting loss this century in 2023, as claims came pouring in for storms, floods, wildfires, and more. Inflation and the crowding of high-risk areas contributed to the red ink, but extreme weather events were also a factor. These are due to become more frequent and severe because of climate change. Nancy Watkins specializes in climate resilience, insurtech and catastrophic property risk at Milliman, the actuarial consultancy. She joins Climate Proofers to discuss the headwinds facing the US insurance market and the resilience measures that individuals, communities, and public authorities could take to ease the emerging affordability and availability crisis. We also examine the role of catastrophe (or 'cat') models in the insurance industry, and their importance in a climate-transformed world. 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 May, climate proofers from across the world gathered in New York for Adapt Unbound USA, a pioneering conference on the emerging adaptation economy. Experts from tech, finance, and policy held forth on topics ranging from how to prepare cities for climate change to building industry-wide collaborations. Louie was tapped to moderate the last panel of the day on closing the adaptation capital gap, with adaptation veterans Emilie Mazzacurati (Tailwind Climate), Maëlis Carraro (Catalyst Fund), Anish Patel (Yamaha Motor Ventures), and Sonam Velani (Streetlife Ventures). Thanks to the good folk at Unbound Summits, this week's podcast features a recording of that panel, so you can hear direct from these big hitters on what's behind the adaptation finance gap and how to close it. An edited transcript of the panel is also available here for those who prefer to read. 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

Adaptation planning is taking place at every level of the public realm. While national governments beaver away on country-wide adaptation plans, subnational and local governments are getting to grips with their own distinctive risks, opportunities, and adaptation needs. Kit England is no stranger to local adaptation planning. Currently the senior climate resilience and adaptation specialist at Paul Watkiss Associates, Kit has over ten years' experience in adaptation planning and implementation, most recently through the Pathways2Resilience program set up under the EU's Climate Change Adaptation Mission. He joins Louie on the podcast to talk about his experiences and share his thoughts on the type of coordination and collaboration needed to create joined-up adaptation plans at the local level and beyond. 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

"Proper planning prevents poor performance." It's a cheesy axiom, but one that happens to be correct. With extreme weather events on the rise, and slow onset climate risks on the march, it makes sense that organizations of all shapes and sizes are making plans in response. S& Global Rating's Dr Paul Munday has been at the forefront of research into company-level climate adaptation plans, and recently co-authored an in-depth report on the current state of play. This found that just 21% of companies have adaptation plans, and that less than half of these have implementation timelines of 10 years or less. Is this evidence that too few companies are taking climate risks seriously? A sign that adaptation and resilience are still emerging concepts in the private sector? Or a reflection of the difficulties involved with putting together climate risk assessments and articulating effective responses? In this episode, Paul and Louie discuss the findings of the report and unpack additional research by S&P on sovereign and municipal climate risks. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly does of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie.woodall@loremedia.info