Climate Adaptation & Resilience for Business

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The impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent in the UK and beyond. New patterns of extreme weather events are emerging, posing physical risks to businesses. While many companies are making progress towards reaching their net zero targets, mitigation actions no longer suffice on their own. With the World Economic Forum ranking ‘extreme weather events’ as the greatest risk to society over the next decade, the message is clear: companies need to develop and implement robust adaptation plans to build resilience against climate shocks and ensure their long-term viability.

2025 Webinar Series:

To help companies understand how they can embed climate adaptation considerations into their sustainability strategies, the UN Global Compact Network UK is hosting a five-part webinar series. This series will equip attendees with:

  • The business case for investing in climate adaptation and resilience measures;
  • Practical guidance on how to undertake robust climate risk assessments and develop a climate adaptation strategy/business continuity plan;
  • Concrete actions that leading businesses across sectors are taking to safeguard their infrastructure, operational activities, supply chains, workforces, and investments from climate change hazards;
  • Examples of how financial institutions are linking investments to adaptation outcomes, and what further action is needed to bridge the adaptation finance gap.

Assessing and Managing Climate Risks

18 March, 14:00-15:30 GMT

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This webinar will explore the business case for building adaptive capacity and the role that climate risk assessments can play in helping businesses get started. Discussions will focus on the key elements that businesses should consider as part of assessing their exposure and vulnerability to climate risks, as well as how leading companies are incorporating the findings of these assessments in their decision-making and strategic long-term planning.

Enhancing Operational Resilience

25 March, 14:00-15:30 GMT

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This webinar will provide practical guidance on how companies can make their business sites and assets more resilient to the various physical impacts of climate change. It will explore the types of investments and retrofits that businesses can undertake to enhance the climate resilience of their infrastructure, how these can be carried out in line with net zero goals and in partnership with local stakeholders, and the contributions that nature-based solutions can make in this area.

Futureproofing Supply Chains

1 April, 14:00-15:30 BST

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This webinar will showcase how companies can embed climate resilience considerations into their procurement policies and take action to build supply chain resilience. Best-practice case studies will be highlighted to demonstrate how companies are implementing solutions to safeguard the supply of key commodities, using technology to better predict and manage disruption, and collaborating with their suppliers (including SMEs) to enhance their adaptive capacity.

Protecting Workers and Communities from Climate Hazards

8 April, 14:00-15:30 BST

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This webinar will explore the relationship between climate change and occupational safety and health (OSH) agendas. It will demonstrate how companies can establish safeguards to protect their workers from climate hazards, as well as how leading businesses are engaging with stakeholders affected by their operations to create shared resilience benefits, support place-based climate action, and drive outcomes that are compatible with the principles of a Just Transition.

The Role of Finance and Insurance

15 April, 14:00-15:30 BST

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This webinar will explore how leading financial institutions are assessing and acting on climate risks within their portfolios, as well as seizing emerging adaptation-related investment opportunities. It will discuss the current barriers holding back the flow of private sector finance towards adaptation, how these can be overcome, and the role that policy advocacy and transition planning across the wider private sector can play in helping to unlock finance for adaptation at scale.

Further Reading:

 Contact:

For any questions about this series, please contact Pauline Girma, Senior Project Manager (Environment) or Justin Marshall, Project Manager (Environment).