There are many ways to explain what is happening to the Earth's climate: Global warming. climate change. climate crisis. Global strangeness. They all try to capture phenomena caused by anomalies in the world's weather systems in different ways. Despite the large selection of thesaurus entries, it is still a very difficult concept to relate.
However, researchers at MIT may finally have an answer. Instead of predicting Category 5 hurricanes and record-breaking hot days, they predicted how many “outdoor days” their region would experience between now and 2100 if rising carbon emissions were unchecked. We have developed a tool that allows people to check whether they
Depending on where you live, the results may be alarming or reassuring.
Things don't seem so bad for people in California, France, and Germany. Although the weather is not very pleasant during the summer, the weather gradually becomes milder in the spring and fall, and compared to historical records, the weather outside can last from a few days to nearly a month. Britain will spend 40 more days outdoors by the end of this century, and the economy will be even better.
However, not everyone comes out first. Some temperate regions such as New York, Massachusetts, China and Japan will lose more than a week of outdoor days. Elsewhere, the situation looks even more dire. By the 2080s, Illinois will lose more than a month of outdoor days as summers become unbearably hot. Texas will also lose a month and a half for the same reason.
But (as scientists have warned) it will be the countries with the most vulnerable populations that will suffer the most. Nigeria's summers will get hotter and longer, meaning we won't spend nearly two months outdoors. India will lose almost two and a half months.
It doesn't have to be that way. Even if the world does not reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and even if it does by 2070, the situation will improve dramatically. In Nigeria and India, he loses just one month of outdoor days, while northern regions retain some of the added outdoor days.
Risk assessment
The MIT tool is an application of a field of research known as climate scenario analysis, a branch of strategic planning that seeks to understand how climate change will affect different regions and demographics. Although this is not a new field, advances in computational power have fostered more sophisticated climate models, making them more widely applicable than previously.
A variety of startups are harnessing this relatively newly discovered predictive power to help shape an uncertain future.
Many startups in this space are focused on tackling uncertainty for investors, lenders, and insurers. Jupiter Intelligence, Cervest, and One Concern all focus on these markets, providing customers with dashboards and data feeds that can be customized to suit their region and the assets they are interested in. The startup will also determine flood, wildfire and drought risks and provide reports detailing risks to assets and supply chains. They can also make extensive regulatory disclosures and highlight relevant climate risks.
Investors and insurance companies are sufficiently concerned about how climate change will affect their assets and supply chains that these startups are raising substantial cash. According to PitchBook, Jupiter Intelligence has raised $97 million, Cervest has raised his $43 million and One Concern has raised $152 million.
While large financial institutions are an obvious customer base for climate forecasting companies, other markets exposed to the outdoors also need solutions.
ClimateAI is targeting agriculture, including agribusinesses, lenders, and food and beverage companies that have seen their crops destroyed by droughts, floods, and storms. As a result, water risk assessment is a key feature of ClimateAI's forecasts, but it also provides other weather and climate-related data. The startup has raised $37 million so far, according to PitchBook.
Sensible Weather addresses a market that is familiar to most of us. We provide insurance for those participating in outdoor events and activities, from live concerts to camping to golf. We work with campgrounds, golf courses, live event operators, and more to give our customers options that guarantee their outings against inclement weather. This approach helped the startup raise $22 million in funding, according to PitchBook.
As more businesses and consumers become aware of how climate change is impacting their lives, their demand for certainty will create a rich new market, and these startups This will provide ample opportunity for expansion for the company and its peers. Once a niche field limited to academic research institutions and insurance companies, climate scenario analysis now appears to be entering the mainstream.