You have probably all seen news stories about severe weather, flooding, drought, and extreme heat or cold hitting different parts of the world, including the US. Scientists universally believe that Climate Change has not caused these conditions but have made them more extreme. More energy is in our atmosphere from the greater amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) trapping more radiation. This clearly is contributing to the severity of effects. You accept that Climate Change is an important issue. But what can you do? Even if you implement your own plan and reduce your own energy usage and contribution of GHGs, how much can that make the Earth better when every new coal- or oil-fired power plant coming online anywhere in the world negates your efforts many times over?

The first thing to remember is that small and medium-sized businesses are more harmed by the physical and economic impacts of Climate Change than large companies because large firms often have backups and diversification to survive a downturn in one or several areas. Also, small businesses do not have the resources to determine Climate Change risks and do proper business planning. A poll by Small Business Majority indicated that one-third of small business owners report having been personally affected by extreme weather. And that poll was conducted 10 years ago!

What should you do? What can make a difference? Despite the news stories, don’t focus on the planet. Focus on your business. Plan and take Climate Change into consideration when making decisions on your business. Weather extremes are expected to occur more often. Think about your business, your markets, your operations and how they may be affected by Climate Change impacts.

Here are just some of the impacts Climate Change may have on your business:

• Rising risk of damage
• Rising insurance premiums
• Power outages
• Access to sufficient and high-quality water
• Damage to roads and critical infrastructure
• Injuries or illness; loss of work hours
• Increased need for energy (due to severe heat or cold), and its higher costs

So, get away from thinking about the global impacts of Climate Change and think about how these items influence your business. Are you located in an area that may be particularly vulnerable to any of these issues? Might your customers, clients, or suppliers be impacted by any of these? Prioritize which of these factors are most important to your business and begin to plan and act.

Then ask yourself whether you are most protected from these issues. For instance, if you live on a coast or in hurricane or tornado zone, are your business assets protected from severe damage as storms are likely to become more severe? If infrastructure is an issue, are there alternative ways for suppliers or for customers to reach you if a key highway or train track is severely damaged? Are your energy systems able to function in extreme heat or cold? Are there things you can do to reduce the risk of a business slowdown or shutdown and – at the same time – limit physical damage and reduce insurance risk? Again, remember to do this exercise not only for your business, but for your key supply chains and customer base.

This planning and implementation is a lot to ask of a small business owner. Take the opportunity to use free services from those around you to address these issues.

• Partner with local authorities. More and more cities and counties are establishing boards to deal with Climate Change impacts and they may offer literature or free advice.
• Seek advice from other business owners. What may happen to you will impact other businesses, too, and together you can plan better.
• Work with your elected officials and appropriate agencies. Make them aware that Climate Change’s impact on your town and business is important and should not be ignored or “kicked down the road” for another year or budget. This is a NOW issue. Resources can be made available. Vote!

Additionally, small businesses can take this opportunity to change its business model by launching new products or services to take advantage of increased consumer demand for products as a result of Climate Change and grow revenue.

CCES has the experts to help you develop and execute a Climate Change plan to benefit your specific business, reduce your critical riak points and potentially grow revenues. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.