世界经济论坛-气候危机中的创新与适应：面向新常态的技术（英）-2024.1

IncollaborationwithBostonConsultingGroupInnovation

and

Adaptationin

the

Climate

Crisis:Technology

for

the

New

NormalI

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4Images:GettyImagesContentsForeword34ExecutivesummaryIntroduction51

Comprehendrisks(andopportunities)1.1

Dronesfordatacollection1.2

IoT

andsensorsfordatacollection1.3

Earth

observation

forplanetary

intelligence1.4

Artificial

intelligence12141415161920212425262728303031323333353740414243451.5

AR/VR

to

visualizeclimateimpacts1.6

Advancedcomputingto

powerintelligence2

Buildresilience2.1

Climate-resilientinfrastructure2.2

Climate-resilientfoodsystems2.3

Resilientglobalsupplychains2.4

Advancedearly

warningsystems3

Responddynamically3.1

The

first72

hours3.2

AIforhumanitariandatacollection3.3

Earthobservationforpost-disasteranalytics3.4

AIforpost-crisisdecision-making3.5

Dronestooptimizesearch-and-rescueoperations3.6

AItooptimizemobilityandevacuations4

Multistakeholdercollaborationandkeyenablers4.1

Open

sourceistheunlock4.2

Repositioningadaptationtoattractfinance4.3

PolicyandregulationasacatalystConclusionContributorsEndnotesDisclaimerThisdocumentispublishedbytheWorldEconomicForumasacontributiontoaproject,insightareaorinteraction.Thefindings,interpretationsandconclusionsexpressedhereinarearesultofacollaborativeprocessfacilitatedandendorsedbytheWorldEconomicForumbutwhoseresultsdonotnecessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheWorldEconomicForum,northeentiretyofitsMembers,Partnersorotherstakeholders.©2024WorldEconomicForum.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem.InnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis2January2024InnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis:TechnologyfortheNewNormalForewordHamidMaherHelenBurdettHead,TechnologyforEarth,WorldEconomicForumManagingDirectorandPartner,

BostonConsultingGroupRecentyearshaveseenextremeweathereventswracktheglobe–fromthe2021floodinginenableracrossallofthem–helpingleadersnotonlytoassessclimateriskbutalsotoidentifysolutionsandtobuildresilienceintherealworld.Data-drivenanddigitaltechnologies,inparticular,willbeacriticalsourceofadaptivevalueprotectionandcreation.Advancesinthesetechnologies–particularlyartificialintelligence(AI)–havebeenoneofthemajorstoriesof2023.Thisreportoutlinestherolesthatdata-drivenanddigitaltechnologiescanplayinsupportingclimateadaptation,fromstrengtheningriskanalyticsandclimate-proofingsupplychainstopoweringR&Danddiscoveryprocessestoyieldthenextgenerationofclimatetechnologies.Germanytothispastyear’s

wildfiresinHawaii,EasternCanadaandAustralia–leavinglittledoubtthattheimpactsofclimatechangearearriving.Theclimatescienceisclearthattheseimpactswillbecomemorevolatile:thecontinuationofcurrentemissionsandnaturedegradationcorrelatewithincreasedsudden-andslow-onseteventswithinthisdecade.Mitigatinggreenhousegas(GHG)emissionshasneverbeenmoreurgent.Atthesametime,communities,businessesandgovernmentsmustadapttopresentandoncomingchanges.Adaptationistheprocessofevolvingtotheeffectsofchange–inthiscase,adjustingecological,socialandeconomicsystemstoalleviatetheimpactsofclimatechange.Thisincludescrisisresponseforextremeeventssuchasfloodingandwildfires.Italsoencompassesmulti-faceted,agileapproachesfornavigatingaworldwherereliableclimateandweatherconditionscannolongerbetakenforgranted.Leadersneednewformsofintelligencetobuildresilienceintotheircommunitiesandbusinesses.Alongtheway,first-moverswillfindthisisnotonlyariskmitigationstrategybutalsoasourceofcompetitiveadvantage.TheTech

for

Climate

Adaptation

WorkingGroup,hostedbytheWorldEconomicForum’s

CentrefortheFourthIndustrialRevolution,convenedtodevelopthisreportandadvanceapplicationsandknowledgerelatedtotechnologyforclimateadaptation.Theworkinggroupincludesleadersandexpertsfromtechnology,industry,thepublicsector,academiaandcivilsociety.Itsmembershavebeenessentialtochartingthescopeofthisreportandbringingdomain-specificinsighttoitschapters.Thereisnotechnologicalsilverbulletforclimatechange.Moretothepoint,thereisnosubstitutefordeepandswiftmitigationofGHGemissions.Theimpactsofclimatechangearehereandcannotbeignored.Technology

offersawaytomanagetheseimpacts–toadaptandbringmoreclaritytoanuncertainfuture.Therearemultipleinterdependentapproachestoclimateadaptation,includingeconomicincentives,policyandregulation,locally-ledintervention,andnature-basedapproaches.Technology

isakeyInnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis3ExecutivesummaryTheimpactsofclimatechangeareintensifyinganddata-drivenanddigitaltechnologiescanhelp.Theimpactsofclimatechange–intheformofextremeandslow-onsetevents–areincreasinginfrequencyandintensity.TheWorldEconomicForum’s

2024GlobalRisksReportrankedextremeweathereventsasthesecond-mostsevereriskoverthenexttwoyears–andthemostsevereovera10-yearhorizon.Nearlyhalfoftheworld’spopulationisvulnerabletotheimpactsofclimatechange.Virtuallyeverysectoroftheglobaleconomyisexposedtosomedegreeofclimate-relatedrisk.anddronesaretransforminghowleadersgather,processandanalyseinformation.ThesetechnologiesprovideintelligenceonhowtheEarthischangingattheplanetarylevelandhowtheimpactsmaybefeltbybusinessesandlocalcommunities.Buildingresilienceagainstclimateimpacts–AIishelpingbuildresilienceintocriticalinfrastructure,suchasfloodmanagementsystems,throughoptimizationandreal-timemaintenance.EarthobservationandIoTarebringingnewprecisiontocriticalresilience

tools

such

as

early-warning

systems.Technologyis

integralto

buildingadaptivecapacity,propellinginnovationandbringingnewcapabilitiestoleadersandcommunities.Thereisnotechnologicalpanaceathatcantackleclimatechange;

thereisnosubstitutefordeep

andswiftmitigationof

greenhouse

gas

(GHG)emissions.However,technology–

specificallydata-drivenanddigitaltechnology–

canhelpleadersmanagethemountingrisksassociatedwithclimateimpactsandunlocknewopportunitiesalongtheway.

Anemergingsetoftechnologies–

allsynergisticwithartificialintelligence(AI)andadvancedcomputing–

supporta

comprehensivestrategyforadaptationandplayakeyroleateachstageofthe“adaptationcycle”:Respondingdynamicallywhenimpactshit–Earthobservation,alongwithdrones,canprovidea

viewofhard-to-reachareasintheaftermathofanextremeevent.Dronesarealsobeingusedtomakedeliveries

of

emergency

aid

and

support

search-and-rescueoperations.AI’s

capabilitiesforpredictionandoptimizationimprovesituationalawareness.Theclimatecrisisdemandsadaptation.Data-drivenanddigitaltechnologiesalreadyplayamission-criticalrole

inadaptationeffortsacrosstheworld;theyare

poisedforscaledadoptionandgreaterimpactwhensupportedbyopencollaboration,improvedfinancingandanenablingpolicyenvironment.Comprehendingrisksandopportunities–AI,Earthobservation,theinternetofthings(IoT)InnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis4IntroductionTowards

atechnology-ledapproachtoclimateadaptation.Itisofficial–2023wasthehottestyearinrecordedhistory.

JunewasthewarmestJuneonrecord,$200billion–40%greaterthantheannualaverageforthepast20years(excludingearthquakes).18JulythewarmestJuly,AugustthewarmestAugust,SeptemberthewarmestSeptemberandOctoberExtremeweathereventsare

nottheonlyimpactsofclimatechange.Slowonsetevents,

suchasthewarmestOctober.oneineverythreedaysbreachedthe1.5ºCthreshold.

Climatechangeisacceleratingatanunprecedentedpace.2Acrosstheyear,

roughly9increasingglobaltemperatures,are

damagingagriculture,biodiversityandhumanhealth.Glaciersandpolaricecapsare

melting,withrisingsealevelsthreateningcoastalcommunitiesthrougherosion,floodingandsaltwaterintrusion.Seasonalprecipitationpatternsare

changing,resultingingreaterrainfallinsomeareasanddesertificationinothers.TheUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme’s

DavidJensenstates,“Inmanypartsoftheworld,thepredictabilitythatusedtoexistinseasonalweatherpatternsissimplygone”.3Thefalloutisevident.weatherevents,suchasheatwaves,wildfiresandhurricanes,hasincreasedinrecentyears.

Ifthesetrendspersist,extremeeventscouldincreaseto560

ayearby2030–1.5aday–representinga40%increaseover2015.

Inadditiontohuman4Thenumberofextreme567suffering,thecostsarehuge;in2022,naturaldisasterscostgovernmentsandbusinessesoverFIGURE1

AllindustriesareexposedtosomelevelofclimateriskthroughacuteandchronichazardsIndustries(selection)Infrastructure

OilandgasUtilitiesMiningAgriculture

Manufacturing

FashionandluxuryTransportHealthDroughtFloodingFreezingSeverestormTropical

cycloneWildfireWinterstorm/hailHighertemperatureMeltingice/permafrostEcosystemdisruptionEmployeehealthEquipmentefficiencySealevelriseWaterscarcityLowriskHighriskIndicativeSources:BCGanalysis;Zawadzki,Annika,LorenzoFantiniandGiovanniCovazzi,"ComingtoGripswithCorporateClimateRisk",BCG,20November2023,/publications/2023/coming-to-grips-with-corporate-climate-risk.InnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis5In

2019,theGlobalCommissiononAdaptationestimatedthatinvesting$1.8

trillion

inclimate

adaptationmeasures

byClimatechangetodaythreatenspeople,businessesandnature.Invulnerableregionsacrosstheworld,between3.3and3.6billionpeopleareexposedtotheimpactsofclimatechange.10

“Theimpactsofclimatechange,whilefeltglobally,dodependonwhereintheworldyouare.Thevulnerablearehitthehardest,”saysChristerSolheimGundersenofNorwegianAgencyforDevelopmentCooperation(NORAD).Inbusiness,$4trillionincorporateassetscouldbeatriskby2030duetotheimpactsofclimatechange.11

Nearlyeverysectoroftheglobaleconomyisexposedtosomedegreeofclimate-inducedrisk(seeFigure1).Inthenaturalworld,sixofnineplanetaryboundarieshavebeencrossed,12paintingagrimpictureoftheEarth’s

health.mostadaptabletochange.Thus,theseindicatorsnotonlyheightentheurgencyformitigatinganthropogenicimpactsontheclimatebutalsobringattentiontotheneedforpeople,businessesandgovernmentstoadapt.Inrecent

years,studieshaveestimatedtheeconomicdamagesassociatedwithclimateimpactsandthepossible

benefits

of

tackling

them.

In

2019,

the

GlobalCommissiononAdaptationestimatedthatinvesting$1.8trillioninclimateadaptationmeasuresby2030couldyield$7.1trillioninnetbenefits.13

Basedontheseestimatesandotheranalyses,anincreasingnumberofgovernmentshaveenactedlawsandissuedprotocolsrelatedtoclimateadaptation.Thenumberofcountrieswithnationaladaptationplansisincreasingyear-on-year.14

Moreover,

theemergenceofclimate-resilientindustriesandtechnologies,suchasresilientagriculture,havepresentedopportunitiesforgovernmentsandbusinessesto“climate-proof”theirfutures.2030

couldyield$7.1

trillion

innetbenefits.Climatic,naturalandsocioeconomicsystemsmaybeclosetotippingpoints,whererelativelysmallchangesleadtoirreversibleshifts.Ashistoryshows,itisnotthestrongestspeciesthatsurvivesnorthemostintelligent–butthoseBOX1ClimateadaptationdefinitionActionstakentoadjustprocesses,practicesandstructurestomoderatepotentialdamagesortobenefitfromopportunitiesassociatedwiththeeffectsofclimatechange.Notes:1.BasedontheUNFCCCdefinition;2.Encompassesactivitiesreferredtoas“climateresilience”or“adaptationandresilience”.Numerousadaptationstrategieshavebeendevelopedtomaketheworldmoreresilienttotheimpactsofclimatechange.Theyrangefrombuildingstrongerinfrastructureanddevelopingearlywarningsystemstoimplementingfloodcontrolmeasuresandchangingagriculturalpractices.Thesestrategiesbroadlyfallintofourgroups:regulatory,economic,socioculturalandnature-based.Taken

together,

theseinterdependentstrategiescanbeviewedthroughthelensofwhatclimateandsocialscientistscalladaptivecapacity.15

AccordingtoGailWhiteman,ProfessorofSustainabilityattheUniversityofExeterandExecutiveDirectorofArticBasecamp,“It’s

allaboutbuildingadaptivecapacity.Focusingatthesystemsleveltoadaptoursocial,ecologicalandeconomicprocesses.Indeed,wecanthinkofadaptationasanongoingprocess”.Data-drivenanddigitaltechnologiesare

uniquelysuitedtobuildadaptivecapacityandtacklethemulti-variable,complexproblemsinvolvedinclimatedecision-making(seeFigure2).Thesetechnologiescandealwiththeinter-connectednessofnatural,socioeconomicandeconomicsystems,copewithmanyvariablesanddegreesofuncertainty,andalignclimateactionacrossmultipletimehorizonsandimperatives.Onthislaterpoint,NaokoIshii,DirectoroftheCenterforGlobalCommonsattheUniversityofTokyo,

says,“Adaptationneedstotakealong-term,strategicviewpoint.Historically,adaptationhasbeenconsideredasashort-termoradhocresponsetospecificevents–separatefrom

mitigationstrategy.Dataandtechnologycanhelptoalignthesestrategiesforthelong-term.”Thisisthekindofintelligencethattheclimatecrisisdemands.InnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis6FIGURE2

GlobalriskslandscapeIntrastateviolenceCensorshipandsurveillanceNaturalresourceshortagesErosionofhumanrightsTerrorist

attacksMisinformationanddisinformationCriticalchangetoEarthsystemsInvoluntarymigrationAdverseoutcomesoffrontiertechnologiesBiodiversitylossandecosystemcollapseTechnologicalpowerconcentrationCyberinsecurityInterstatearmedconflictPollutionExtremeweathereventsAdverseoutcomesofAItechnologiesSocietalpolarizationNon-weatherrelatednaturaldisastersDisruptionstoChronichealthconditionscriticalinfrastructureInfectiousdiseasesBiological,chemicalornuclearhazardsInsufficientinfrastructureandservicesDisruptionstoa

systemicallyimportantsupplychainLackofeconomicopportunityLabourshortagesGeoeconomicconfrontationConcentrationofstrategicresourcesInflationEconomicdownturnAssetbubbleburstsUnemploymentIlliciteconomicactivityDebtNodesRiskinfluenceEdgesRelativeinfluenceRiskcategoriesEconomicEnvironmentalGeopolicticalSocietalTechnologicalHighHighMediumLowMediumLowSource:WorldEconomicForum,GlobalRisksPerceptionSurvey

2023-2024,2024Forgloballeaders,publicandprivatealike,data-drivenanddigitaltechnologieswillcreateandprotectvalue.Theywillenableleadersinawiderangeofways,fromsupportingdecision-makingandpoweringscientificdiscoverytochangingbehaviours.Atthesametime,technology-basedadaptationrequirespolicydevelopment,communityengagementandinternationalcooperationtowork.Amultistakeholderapproachisessentialforeffortstoscalerapidlyandadvancetheworld’s

responsetoclimatechange.InnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis7MappingthetechnologylandscapeAsetofdata-drivenanddigitaltechnologiesareemergingasmission-criticaltoolsforclimateadaptation.FIGURE3

High-leveldefinitionsArtificialintelligence*DronesEarthobservationFamily

of

mathematical

and

computerscience

techniques,

including

advancedanalytics,

big

data

analytics,

machine

learning,deep

learning

and

large

language

models.Unmannedaerialvehicles(UAVs)

thatcanbeequippedwithcameras,coverlargedistancesandcarrysmallamountsofphysicalmaterial.Remote-sensing(e.g.satellites)orinsitutechniques(e.g.weatherstations)forgatheringinformationaboutactivitiesonEarth.AdvancedcomputingIoTAR/VR**Super-computing(includingNetworkeddevices(includingsensorsandhand-helddevices)thatworktogethertocollectandsharedataandmonitorsystems.Tools

thatprovideimmersiveexperiences,eitherbysuperimposingdigitalfeaturesonphysicalenvironmentsorusinghardware(e.g.headsets)tofullyimmerseusers.cloud-based)andquantumcomputingprocessesthatenhancecomputepower,accuracyandspeed.Notes:*Extendeddefinitiononp.16.**Augmentedreality/virtualrealityTechnologiesoftheIndustrialRevolutionhaveuse,andsecondly,theirvastpotentialforimpactfulcontribution.Consequently,emphasishasbeenplacedfirstlyontechnologiesthatcurrentlyprovidevitalsolutionsforclimateadaptation,andsecondly,onthosethataredevelopingrapidlyandareexpectedtoyieldsignificantbenefitsforfutureclimateresilience.beenasignificantdriverofclimatechange16

–butnewandemergingtechnologiescanhelpleadersadapttothechangingclimateofthe21stcentury.Technology

willenableleaderstoenhanceindustryresilience,protectecosystemsandsafeguardhumanwell-being.Aconfluenceoffactors,suchasscientificandtechnologicaldevelopments,policysupport,marketdemandandarisingsenseofurgency,aredrivingthedevelopmentofpath-breakingtechnologiesforclimateadaptation.Thisconvergenceiscatalysinginnovationandopeningnewpathwaystobuildadaptivecapacityintoorganizationsandcommunitiesworldwide.Moreover,

thesetechnologieshaveapplicationsacrossthedatalifecycle.17

Eachphaseembodiesdifferentchallengesandopportunities.Thisreportthereforeendeavourstoexploretechnologieslocatedatvariousphasesofthelifecycle(e.g.howIoTcanbeusedfordatacollection;andmachinelearning

(ML),furtherdownstream,fordataanalysis).Whilethesixtechnologiesanalysedinthisreportcanworkautonomously,theirimpactcanbeexpandedwhenusedinconcert.Thisreportcoversbothmodesofoperation.Forinstance,inthewakeofa

hurricane,Earthobservationcanworkautonomouslytocapture

imagesofdamagedbuildings,ortheseimagescanbeusedwithAI-basedsystemstohelpinsurers

processdamageclaims.18IntroducingthetechnologiesAsetofdata-drivenanddigitaltechnologies–allsynergisticwithartificialintelligence(AI)–areemergingasmission-criticaltoolsforclimateadaptation.Thespecifictechnologiesthatarethefocusofthisreportaredrones,theinternetofthings(IoT),Earthobservation,augmentedandvirtualreality(ARandVR),advancedcomputingandAI.Together,

theycompriseafirst-of-its-kindtoolkitforclimateadaptation.To

secure

a

sustainablefuture,

advancedtechnologyshouldbecentred

inclimateadaptationstrategies.Thekeyliesnotjustindevelopinganddeployingthesetechnologies,butalsoinusingthemfordiscoveryprocesses

thatwillinventfuture

solutions.Giventheurgencyoftheclimatecrisis,theselectionofthesetechnologiesisbasedoneitheroftwokeycriteria:firstly,theirreadinessforimmediateInnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis8FIGURE4

HowtechnologypowersclimateadaptationAIatthecoreIoTAR/VRAdvancedcomputingThetechnologiesDronesAsuiteofadvancedtechnologies,allsynergisticwithAI,areenteringthemainstreamandemergingascriticaltoolsforclimateadaptation.Thesetoolsarelocatedatdifferentpointsofthedatalifecycle;theyaresometimesusedautonomously,sometimesinconcert.EarthobservationGather,

completeandprocessdataStrengthenplanninganddecision-makingTheircapabilitiesThetechnologiesproduceasetofcapabilitiesthatleaderscanapplyforreal-worldimpact.Thesecapabilitiesrangefrompredictivedecision-makingtonudgingbehaviourchange.Indifferentways,thesecapabilitiesrelyondigitalintelligence–andallarevaluablefordrivingclimateadaptation.OptimizeprocessesinrealtimePowerdiscoveryprocessesNudgeadaptivebehaviourso12uTheadaptationcycleLeaderscanputthesecapabilitiestoworkintheirclimateadaptationstrategies.Aneffectiveandcomprehensivestrategyfollowsthe“adaptationcycle”,whichencompasses:1)comprehendingrisksandopportunities,2)buildingresilienceagainstfutureimpacts,and3)respondingdynamicallywhenclimateimpactshit.Adaptationcycle3InnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis9Thekeyliesnotjust

in

developingand

deployingthese

technologies,butalsoin

usingthemfordiscoveryprocesses

thatwill

invent

futuresolutions.The“sowhat”–thecapabilitiesrisingfromadvancedtechnologyproblems

–

forexample,identifyinga

traderoutethatminimizesclimaterisk–

andcaniteratethrough

multiplestrategiesuntiltheyhaveidentifiedthebestoutcome.Additionally,thesealgorithmscanrapidlyadjustparameters(e.g.intheeventofanunexpectedclimateshocktothesupplychain)andprovide

dynamicupdates.To

realizetechnology’spotentialforadaptation,itisimportanttounderstandthecapabilitiesthatitprovidestoleaders.Thesetofadvancedtechnologiesfeaturedinthisreportsupportsthedevelopmentoffivedifferentcapabilities:Powerdiscoveryprocesses:AIistransformingsciencebecauseofthevolumesandformsofdata(i.e.structuredandunstructureddata)itcanstudyandthespeedatwhichitcandoso.Thatishowdeeplearningtools,suchasGoogleDeepMind’sAlphaFold,havepioneeredmethodstodeterminethestructureofproteinsfromthesequenceofaminoacids.20

Similarly,climateandweatherresearchersareusingAItoapproximatecomplexphysicalandchemicalphenomenaandembedtheminnext-generationmodellingsystems.21

AsMehdiGhissassi,DirectorandHeadofProductatDeepMindhassaid,“AIishelpinghumansgeneratenewknowledgethatexpandsourunderstandingofvariousscientificfields.Theseadvancescanleadtobetteroutcomesinthelifesciences,climate,andenergy,amongotherfields”.Gather,

processandcompletedatasets:Technology

enablesleaderstoworkwithvastamountsofinformation.Forinstance,privatecompanieshavelaunchedtheirownsatellites,expandingthecollectionofplanetarydata.IoT,ontheotherhand,allowsforsensorplatformsthatcollectlocalizeddata.AIenablessummaryofthisdata19

anddeliversnewcapabilitiestocompletetemporally-andspatially-sparsedatasets.Strengthenplanninganddecision-making:TheflagshipcapabilityofAIistostudycomplexproblemsandpredictfutureeffects.Thesepredictivepowersaretransformingplanninganddecision-making.Forinstance,AImakesitpossibletocalculatethefinancial,operationalandsocialimpactsofaninvestmentinclimateresilience–and,crucially,topredictthecostsofinaction.Bothareessentialtoprioritizepotentialactionsandallocateresourcesefficiently.Nudgeadaptivebehaviour:Inmanydomains,climateactionrequireschangeatthebehaviourallevel.Technology

canbeappliedinconsumer-oruser-facingsystems(e.g.productrecommendations,socialmedia,etc.)toweighdecisionsinfavourofadaptiveorrisk-reducingchoices.22

Additionally,emergingtechnologiessuchasAR/VRcanprovideimmersiveexperiencesthatgiveusersavisceralsenseofclimateimpacts.Optimizeprocessesinreal-time:

AIperformsbestwhengivenenoughdatatocaptureunderlyingpatterns.CertainclassesofMLalgorithmsare

well-suitedforoptimizationInnovationandAdaptationintheClimateCrisis

10TheclimateadaptationcycleLeadersmustask:HowdoAdvanced

technology

has

a

remarkableability

to

pickoutanomaliesand‘weakcues’fromhugeamountsofdata.We

arestartingtoseethethreatsbeforetheyoccur”.webuild

short-andlong-termresilience?

Howcanweprotectagainst

bothsudden-onseteventsand

slow-onsetevents?Howcanthesetechnologiesandtheircapabilitiesbeappliedtoclimateadaptation,specifically?SinceAIandotheradvancedtechnologieshaveenteredthemainstream,technologyandbusinessplayershaveracedtofindcommercialapplications.Whilethemarketvalueofthesetechnologiesisevident,itisimportanttosurfacetheclimatevalueoftechnology,too.Thesubsequentsectionsofthisreportwillserveasamapforhowtechnologycanbeappliedtoclimateadaptation.Buildresilience:Thenextstepistobuildresilienceagainstfutureclimatechangeimpactsandunlocknewopportunitiesalongtheway.Leadersmustask:Howdowebuildshort-andlong-termresilience?Howcanweprotectagainstbothsudden-onsetevents,suchasextremeweather,andslow-onsetevents,suchasdesertificationorsea-levelrise?Howwillouractionsalignwithcurrentbusinessoroperatingmodels–whatdowestandtogainbybuildingresilience?Climateadaptationisamulti-stageprocessinvolvingdifferentstrategies,investments,risksandrewards.Thisreportreferstotheprocessasthe“adaptationcycle”,consistingofthreestages:Respond

dynamically:

When

the

impacts

of

climatechangearerealized–

forinstance,whenanextremeweathereventoccurs–

leadersmustbepreparedtorespond.Theymustevaluatehowtoprioritizehardware,softwareandhumanresponseeffortsoptimally.Thisoptimizationcanbethedifferenceinsavinglives,ecosystemsandeconomicvalue.Comprehendrisks(andopportunities):Thefirststage

in

the

climate

adaptation

cycle

is

to

understandtherisks–and,insomecases,opportunities–associatedwiththeimpactsofclimatechange.Leadersshouldask:Whatarethemainrisksweface,andhowvulnerablearewe?Whatisthepotentialimpacton