Mott MacDonald and GSI Make the Case for Building Climate Resilience

LONDON, June 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Mott MacDonald and Anglia Ruskin University's Global Sustainability Institute (GSI) have published a report making clear that building climate resilience is essential to future business survival - and that doing so will also bring commercial opportunity.

The report entitled 'Climate change and business survival' projects that within 20 years US$200bn of investment each year will be needed globally to combat US$1trn of losses from climate impacts. A third of this is likely to offer strong returns on investment. The balance will need more innovative public-private finance.

Investing in improved protection and better emergency planning will enable businesses to cut potential losses by half, and the most resilient organisations will be able to rebound swiftly from climate impacts, outcompeting less resilient rivals.

However, the report also highlights a looming US$130bn per annum global funding gap. This represents resilience and adaptation measures to protect against social and environmental losses. Tackling them will offer only a marginal direct business benefit, but is essential for business continuity as climate change worsens.

'Climate change and business survival' sets out the importance of:

• Recognising the escalating risk posed by climate events and taking action to build resilience.
• Understanding the need for investment in resilience to maintain business continuity and competitiveness.
• Collaborating with public and private sector partners to find new ways to finance protection and adaptation.
• Addressing climate impacts alongside 'business as usual' strategic, risk management, policy and regulatory, contractual and investment planning.
• Fostering the culture shift that will be required to build resilience.

The report is aimed at leaders and decision makers in business, financial institutions and government. It is intended to inform discussion and elicit action that will enable them to protect investment, productive capacity and service quality, reduce risk and sustain profitability.

Ian Allison, global head of climate resilience at Mott MacDonald, said: "2015 culminating with COP-21 in Paris is an important year for international decisions that will shape how we deal with climate change. It is important that the international community takes action to further mitigate temperature rises below a catastrophic level. Even with this unprecedented rate of change society will need to be resilient to the increasing shock that arises from extreme weather and climate impacts. To build resilience across the globe will require up to US$200billion per year to be spent on limiting the economic disruption and costs that will arise from climate change."

Dr Aled Jones, director of the Global Sustainability Institute, commented: "Whilst we expect major steps forward in international policy on climate change at the Paris Conference of Parties at the end of 2015, business needs to be thinking strategically about building medium and long term resilience now. As highlighted in the report, a lot of the necessary action makes business sense today but increasingly the dynamics of public and private collaboration will be an essential part in delivering solutions."

For a copy of the report - or to discuss the resilience of your project or organisation - contact climate.resilience@mottmac.com.

About Mott MacDonald 

Mott MacDonald (http://www.mottmac.com) is a diverse £1.3 billion global management, engineering and development consultancy. As one of the world's largest employee-owned companies with over 16,000 staff, we have 180 offices in nearly 50 countries and projects in 150. We work on public and private sector projects in buildings, communications, education, environment, health, industry, international development, mining, oil and gas, power, transport, urban development, water and wastewater.

Our climate resilience consultancy works across all these sectors, providing advisory and policy services which relate to infrastructure resilience, water, food and land security.

Recent climate resilience projects include:  

Climate resilience study of buildings in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey - appointed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development it will provide a framework for a series of targeted country-specific assessments.

Climate change resilience planning and capacity building in Tajikistan - appointed by Asian Development Bank, we assessed the vulnerability of Tajikistan's water sector assets to climate impact and identified adaptation and mitigation measures for vulnerable communities, ecosystems and infrastructure.

Transport Climate Change Strategy, Gibraltar - we set out deliverable actions for the government and its partners for the strategy which considered the ways in which carbon mitigation, energy efficiency, and climate resilience could be integrated into four key transport sectors.

Case Studies to Support Adaptation Action - supported the Environment Agency, England & Wales, providing advice and support to businesses, public sector and other organisations to help them adapt to a changing climate.

Impacts of Climate Change on Irish Transmission System, EirGrid, Ireland - identified potential impacts from current and projected climate on assets and operations. Developed strategy to build climate resilience into the transmission system, helping to reduce maintenance and repair costs.

KwaDukuza Climate Change Strategy, South Africa - produced a strategy that will help KwaDukuza Municipality reduce the local carbon footprint and improve its resilience to changes in temperature, rainfall, sea level rise and storm surges.

About the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI) 

The Global Sustainability Institute (GSI) at Anglia Ruskin University has built a global reputation for its research with major publications in communication of climate science, policy and climate finance. We have partnerships with business, not-for-profit organisations, the UK Government, EU Commission and the United Nations as well as UK research council-funded projects.

The GSI's research focuses on personal motivations and systems change set against the challenges of sustainability. We have a core staff of researchers, visiting and honorary fellows, project management and knowledge transfer partners. We have four key areas of research which focus on (i) personal motivations and (ii) systems change, set against the challenges of sustainability:

Consumption & change

Climate action & cultural systems

Global resource risk

Education for sustainability

For more information please visit http://ww2.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/global_sustainability_institute.html

Media Enquires  

Mott MacDonald 

Lee Lodge
+44-(0)20-8774-2040
lee.lodge@mottmac.com

Danielle Mendel
+44-(0)20-8774-2301
danielle.mendel@mottmac.com

Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University 

Jon Green
+44-(0)845-196-4717
jon.green@anglia.ac.uk