Saturday, October 29, 2011

Key companies launch partnership on climate resilience

InsuranceNews.net: A number of companies, including Calvert Investments, Entergy, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., and Swiss Re, praised today's release of the Administration's Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force report voicing strong support for the report's emphasis on building resilience in communities, in the US and around the world, who are vulnerable to extreme weather events and rising temperatures.

The companies also announced the launch of their new effort, the Partnership for Resilience and Environmental Preparedness (PREP), formed to promote responsible business practices and strong policies and programs that help businesses and vulnerable communities prepare for and respond to climate change. PREP signals a growing recognition among companies that the risks communities on the front lines of climate change face are also business risks

"A meaningful discussion on climate change cannot stop at mitigation," said J. Wayne Leonard, CEO of Entergy Corporation, an integrated energy company operating primarily in the Gulf South. "The solutions must also include adapting to and resilience against its most negative consequences. Today's report recognizes that the livelihoods of people living in coastal communities, the sustainability of rich natural resources that support our economy and the security of residential, commercial and industrial assets are at great risk if we don't devise and implement plans to protect against, and recover from, the adverse effects associated with climate change."

..."Investing in smart adaptation solutions is a major step towards building a climate resilient society," said Mark Way, Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Political Risk Management at Swiss Re, a global reinsurance firm with offices in the US. "By partnering together, companies and communities can utilize their collective resources to tackle climate risk and improve resiliency for the betterment of society as a whole."...

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