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Climate Risk, Adaptation, and Resilience

The ability of societies and economies to thrive in the future hinges upon today's actions. BCG works with national and local governments and corporates to ensure they are prepared to safeguard populations and environments and build climate-risk resiliency.

Climate change is here, and we are experiencing its effects through increasingly frequent heatwaves, floods, and fires that are costing lives, impacting economies, and damaging natural ecosystems. Depending on which temperature rise scenario is considered, total economic output is projected to decline between 4% and 18% by 2050, according to research by Swiss Re Institute. And despite climate adaptation and resilience being high on the COP27 agenda, most governments and businesses remain largely unprepared.

 

Our Approach to Climate Risk, Adaptation, and Resilience

BCG is working with both national and local governments and companies to assess their exposure to climate risks, support their climate adaptation and resilience strategies, develop their solution responses, and mobilize funding in order to build maximum protection for people, the economy, and natural ecosystems.

For the Public Sector

  • Assessing existing local and national adaptation plans based on our proprietary framework and benchmarking those plans against best practices  
  • Supporting decision-makers with advanced analytics to assess climate risks and climate impact on social, economic, and natural factors  
  • Mobilizing action and funding by estimating the cost of inaction, defining the landscape for bankable projects, and calculating the return on investment 
  • Partnering with relevant private sector actors to deliver on the adaptation plans 

For the Private Sector

  • Mapping climate risks and hazards (such as flooding and extreme heat) to company assets  
  • Prioritizing assets for deep-dive risk assessment and then identifying climate vulnerabilities for those assets  
  • Quantifying the operational and financial impact of the risks to those assets  
  • Defining the most effective climate adaptation and resilience measures to address risks to priority assets  
  • Partnering with relevant public sector actors to deliver on the adaptation plans 

Our Client Work in Climate Risk, Adaptation, and Resilience

 

Our Partnerships in Climate Risk, Adaptation, and Resilience

UN High-Level Climate Change Champions

As part of our ongoing collaboration with the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, BCG has conducted research and analysis to outline the context, challenges, and requirements to achieve the Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Outcomes by 2030. This work has been captured in a series of deep-dive reports, launched at COP27.

In these reports, we explore the adaptation outcomes in four key areas, highlighting what is needed to meet these bold yet actionable targets. Our reports build on our global experience of supporting leaders across the public and private sector in defining their pathways to climate adaptation and resilience.

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2030 Adaptation Outcomes for Adaptation and Resilience Finance

There is an adaptation and resilience financing gap that needs to be met. Enabling these flows requires a fundamental transformation of the financial system.

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2030 Adaptation Outcomes for Adaptation and Resilience Planning

Only ~20% of country governments are planning the necessary A&R actions. Stakeholders need to come together now to plan, fund, and implement A&R actions.

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2030 Adaptation Outcomes for Food and Agriculture

We are on the brink of a catastrophic and multifaceted food crisis. Systemic transformation is needed to fortify against climate impacts and reduce emissions.

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2030 Adaptation Outcomes for Human Settlements

Most cities are underprepared, underfunded, and have inadequate resources to address climate impacts. There is an urgent need to mobilize funding and take action.

Our Insights on Climate Risk, Adaptation, and Resilience

Unleashing AI’s Potential: How It Can Help Us Adapt to Climate Change

Hamid Maher explains the importance of AI when tackling climate change, helping decision-makers take action by forecasting both immediate and long-term hazards. This content was paid for by Boston Consulting Group and produced in partnership with the Financial Times Commercial department.


Our Climate Risk, Adaptation, and Resilience Consulting Experts

Our experts in climate resilience consulting and climate adaptation consulting help both private and public sector clients identify and address their most pressing vulnerabilities surrounding climate impact. Here are some of our experts on the topic.

The Sustainable Advantage: Insights on Creating Competitive Advantage Through Sustainability