In a corporate context, a distinction is made between ‘physical climate risks’ i.e. risks arising from climate hazards such as damages to buildings caused by heavy rainfall, and transitory climate risks arising from reinforced climate policies and the decarbonization of the economy.
The reporting obligations introduced by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Taxonomy mean many EU-based companies will have to address and systematically manage their physical climate risks.
The Federal Environment Agency in Germany published a report on "Managing physical climate risks" in August 2023, which details how companies can prepare for climate risks such as extreme weather events, droughts or rising sea levels.
We summarise the key points of the report for you and thus provide you with an overview of how you and your company can best prepare for climate risks.
Depending on their geographical location, companies must adapt to different climate change- related changes. According to climate scenarios, for example, heavy rainfall is expected to increase on the coasts, while the driest regions in eastern Germany are likely to experience an increase in heavy rainfall as well as heat. Extreme weather events are expected especially in the east and south-west of Germany, which is why these regions are also referred to as "climatic hotspots" It is important to consider the location of sites when identifying risks and have plans in place for each location.
One requirement arising from the EU Taxonomy is the preparation of a climate risk analysis. This process will help identify sites and systems where the business might be at risk from climate hazards both currently and in the future, and the extent to which each of these
hazards could have a negative impact on each site in a worst-case climate scenario.
The Federal Environment Agency in Germany has outlined six steps that companies should follow to prepare such an analysis.
The basic steps a company can undertake are the following:
1. Determination of the objects to be analysed
2. Determination of the system elements
3. Determination of the time horizon
4./5. Determination of potentially relevant climate hazards and compilation of information on climate hazards
6. Identification and assessment of physical climate risks
A detailed description of the preparation of a climate risk and vulnerability analysis can be found on the
website of the Federal Environment Agency.
Where your climate risk analysis identifies elements of the company exposed to significant physical climate risks, technical and organisational countermeasures must be taken. For example, the EU Taxonomy requires the establishment of adaptation measures to
significantly reduce the most important physical climate risks. It is important to note that the adaptation plan must not affect the climate resilience of other stakeholders and ecosystems and must not have a negative impact on climate protection.
The Executive Board and Supervisory Board or management must monitor the company's climate risks appropriately. This can be done by periodically addressing the topic as an item on the risk management agenda. There must also be explicitly defined responsibilities below management level. Sites and climate risk analyses must be reviewed regularly, and climate-related risks must also be reported externally in accordance with the CSRD as of this year.
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