The Economic and Financial Risks of a Changing Climate: Insights from Leading Experts

The changing climate is among the most serious challenges now confronting humankind. The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS’s) 2014 report, What We Know, as well as recent reports from the US Global Change Research Program, the National Academy of Sciences, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the Risky Business Project all offer ample evidence of the global effects of climate change and the need to act now to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate adaptation to changes already taking place.

There also remains an imperative to continue research on some of the most extreme possibilities—known as “abrupt change” or “tipping points,” about which less is known—that could be particularly severe in terms of physical and economic consequences. These extremes are the focus of a workshop discussion held on November 12, 2014, and reported here, representing the perspectives of leading physical and social scientists and risk experts. We are pleased to have convened top researchers in these disciplines for a day of in-depth discussion.