Hey Bearcats! Don’t forget tomorrow from 2:30-3:45 in VC14-285, we will be having our first Climate Change Seminar! Read below for more details about our guest speak:

Guest Speaker: Katy Maher

Title: Weathering the Next Storm: How are Businesses Responding to Climate Risks?

Overview: Extreme weather and other climate-related impacts are becoming more frequent, and are imposing real costs on communities and companies. Companies have always navigated a changing business environment; but now they face a changing physical environment, as climate change affects their facilities and operations, supply and distribution chains, electricity and water, and employees and customers. While businesses are increasingly taking steps to assess risks and prepare for
future climate changes, many companies face internal and external challenges that hinder efforts to move toward greater climate resilience. This talk will examine how companies are preparing for climate risks, what is keeping them from doing more, and what strategies could help companies in strengthening climate resilience.

Bio: Katy Maher is a Science Fellow and Resilience Coordinator at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). She contributes to C2ES’s efforts to assess and communicate the current state of knowledge regarding climate change and its impacts, and to promote actions that strengthen climate resilience. Ms. Maher has more than eight years of experience supporting climate change impacts and adaptation projects. Prior to joining C2ES, she worked for ICF International assisting a range of clients – including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Agency for International Development, and state and local governments – in assessing climate change risks and developing adaptation solutions. Ms. Maher also served as Chapter Science Assistant for the Social, Economic and Ethical Concepts and Methods chapter of Working Group III’s contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Ms. Maher holds a Master of Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the College of Wooster.