An initiative called Probable Futures hopes its interactive maps showing how fast the Earth could heat will lead citizens and countries to ask questions about how climate change is transforming their world — a first step in grappling with adaptation and the prevention of ever-worsening conditions.
Spencer Glendon, the 52-year-old founder of Probable Futures and a senior fellow at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts, was investment manager Wellington Management’s research director. He’s always been drawn to issues that could transform financial markets if only people paid attention.
The modern economy is built on a simple and, until recently, correct assumption, that the global climate is stable. The smartest way to treat the Earth’s climate in any risk assessment — dating back to the origin of risk assessments — was to ignore it. But a changing climate can no longer be ignored, and professionals of every stripe are missing tools to help them think through the implications, Glendon said.
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