When Will Companies Grasp the Cost of Climate Change?

For as long as I can remember, adaptation and resilience have been ugly ducklings of sorts in the broader climate conversation. To many climate advocates, focusing too much on measures to prepare society for the physical costs of climate change risked distracting from efforts to cut emissions. For businesses, assessing the actual costs of climate change was too difficult to measure and the damages seemed too far out.

Not anymore. Physical risk and resilience were on the tip of the tongue last week for many of the executives who gathered in New York for Climate Week. As climate change accelerates, the cost of its effects—which can snarl supply chains and shutter operations—have become increasingly apparent to businesses. Even still, the experts who work at the intersection of climate cha