The Threat of a Changing Climate: The Emergency and Business Continuity Managers’ Perspective

Communities and organizations in Canada should be concerned about a number of natural hazards that could be affected as a result of the warming of the lower atmosphere and the earth’s surface and oceans.

This briefing captures and shares the key findings and lessons from a Conference Board network session dedicated to the threat of climate change and natural hazards—held by its Council on Emergency Management (CEMT), a national forum of emergency and business continuity management professionals. Council members heard experts—including academic researchers—from the private and public sector, held critical discussions, and engaged in facilitated workshops designed to promote collaborative innovation and to identify emerging and next practices.

The briefing also gives an overview of the threat landscape, identifies some of the challenges for emergency and business continuity management, and suggests some practical approaches that will help organizations confront this threat more effectively in the future.