Climate impacts increasingly interact with geopolitical tensions and financial stress, and decisions made over the next few years will shape whether countries can build resilience in time. A single shock, like an energy price spike or a failed harvest, can cascade within months into strained foreign reserves, rising household costs, and delayed investment, with the first point of failure typically financial or institutional rather than technological. Drawing on Dr. Warner's extensive experience at the intersection of climate science and policymaking, this talk examines key vulnerability trends, and which financial tools, policy measures, and sequencing approaches can help when countries face simultaneous pressures.
Koko Warner, PhD, is Project Director at the Penn International Climate Observatory and former director of the Global Data Institute at the International Organization for Migration. At the UNFCCC secretariat, she managed the Vulnerability subdivision and supervised the loss and damage policy area. She is a lead author of the IPCC's Fifth and Sixth Assessment Reports and founded the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative. The International Council for Science named her among the top 20 women in the climate change debate.
RSVP here to attend in person or via Zoom. Lunch will be available at 11:45 am in E40-496.