AUSTRALIA + ASIA PACIFIC + DENMARK + SWEDEN + UNITED KINGDOM + UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Stella Whittaker
CHAIR & BOARD MEMBER
GUEST SPEAKER
&
AUTHOR
CLIMATE RISK & ASSESSMENT
FUTURE PROOFING
RENEWABLES
LOW CARBON
CLIMATE FINANCE
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
CLIMATE CHANGE
Today's climate risks are real - extreme events are occurring with increased frequency and severity. Acting responsibly to the challenges ahead is everybody's responsibility - business, government and community. This sentiment was reiterated recently by the international Financial Stability Board (FSB) and in the report of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). R. Bloomberg said “The more companies know about the risks they face, the faster and more effectively they can address them — and the more they report that information, the better equipped investors will be to make smart decisions. It is encouraging to see the Task Force’s group of supporters continue to grow. It will make the global economy more resilient and drive more capital to projects that are helping to reduce emissions and protect people from harm.”
Stella's is working with businesses, governments and cities across the globe to future proof our homes, industry and vital services. Stella has worked with The Climate Institute (TCI) on an in-depth national climate risk report called 'Coming Ready or Not - Managing Climate Risks to Australia’s Infrastructure'. Published in 2012, this report synthesised information on the physical impacts and consequences of climate change on major infrastructure, analysing the preparations for climate change impacts in Australia among owners and operators of major infrastructure assets. The Report in short, concluded that there was much to be done with most sectors not prepared for future climatic conditions.
Unfortunately in many ways not much has happened since 2012, except we are now already experiencing in greater magnitude, severity and frequency extreme climate events – heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, droughts and storms. Many companies are yet to undertake comprehensive climate risk assessments.
Recently, the IPCC stated (October 2018) " The world’s leading climate scientists have warned there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people".
There is still much to do and a very short timeframe i which to take action.....
CLIMATE RISK ASSESSMENT
Since her early involvement in climate change & sustainability in 1982, Stella Whittaker has developed a global network of fellow experts and partnerships, stretching continents, languages and cultures.
In Australia, along with INFORMED365 (i365) Stella has formed a unique alliance and developed a ‘first-of-a-kind' web based, on-line, user friendly climate risk assessment tool for assets and infrastructure. The tool is designed to help governments and businesses across the globe assessing climate risks for individual buildings, transport routes (road & rail), hospitals, schools, sport centres, ovals, water and energy assets and more. This tool will assist all organisations in their response to the TCFD, it can also be used for climate risk assessment, reporting and accreditation in many scheme such as: Green Star Carbon Disclosure Project and GRESB, as well as Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA).
She has drawn upon her extensive climate risk assessment experience in a wide range of projects and environments across the globe, Stella has literally performed 100s of climate risk assessments for leading clients. This on-line dynamic and interactive assessment tool is designed so that any asset manager or owner can use it to identify climate risks to their assets. In less than thirty minutes the software walks you through applying a climate risk assessment, aligned with the international risk management standard - ISO 14000, to achieve for your effort the tangible output of a tailored adaptation plan for that asset.
This IT platform enables evaluation of business exposure to climate risks for specific geographies, assets and/or sectors. It identifies the risk exposure relating to assets, investments, enterprise transactions, operations and supply chains.
This easy-to-use web based IT platform, addresses every element of a climate risk assessment - including getting started, climate data for your local area in both map and table formats, a risk matrix, an asset sensitivity questionnaire tailored to your asset type, adaptation hints, metrics and dashboards, a control panel for super-users to track and check inputs, on-line support and help and much much more!
If you’ve struggled with how to get started in your organisation, as well as in its supply chains, in the assessment of climate risks and opportunities it’s very likely this tool offers a way to help you.
Whatever your role, the Climate Risk Assessment Tool, without cutting corners, will help you and your asset owners across your organisation take your climate risk work to the next level and achieve better results for all who participate. The ACT Government is currently using the tool for all their of assets - literally more than 1,000 across the State.
CSR THOUGHT LEADER
CLIMATE RESILIENCE
CLEAN / GREEN TECHNOLOGY
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
URBAN & ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
SUSTAINABILITY
STARTING CLIMATE RISK ASSESSMENT
Embarking on your climate risk assessment can at first seem daunting. You are likely to have many questions, including how do you make sure your approach complies with international standards and best practice, how do you best roll out a climate risk assessment process in a large and complex organisation and how do you make sure the data you have is the most 'up-to-date' and appropriate for your location/circumstances, as well as 'fit for purpose' - but don't despair you are only a click away from getting started.
GETTING STARTED:
For more insight on how to assess the impact of climate change on your assets:
Need an international keynote & conference speaker on Climate Change and who can resonate, inspire and captivate your audience? Stella Whittaker speaks at international, national and local conferences/events and also facilitates interactive/creative workshops. No venue is too big or too small - inspiring all types of audiences to action.
If interested in inviting Stella to speak at a conference/ event or run a workshop in your organisation, local area or business - please schedule a conversation with her by submitting the below web form.
DID YOU KNOW
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Seventeen years of the 18 warmest years occurred since 2001.
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Over the past 100 years sea-level has risen 178mm - that doesn't sound much but it is actually an alarming figure - already responsible for causing flooding and havoc across the globe.
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Hurricanes are becoming more frequent - the hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria hitting the US and Caribbean contributed to a record $US135 billion in payouts across the globe on natural disasters.