Newswise — Experts at the University of Maryland will discuss global supply chains’ exposure and vulnerability to increasing climate extremes, in a free webinar at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020.

Speakers:

  • Sandor Boyson, research professor (supply chain management), Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland,
  • Michael Gerst, assistant research professor, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland
  • Russell Wermers, director of the Center for Financial Policy and Finance Chair, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.

Gerst and Boyson analyzed revenue-at-risk and response capacity to increasing climate extremes at 10,250 sites across the United States and China. They found that 49% of sites are exposed to increasing climate extremes, and that of sites with the highest revenue-at-risk, 38% are minimally prepared and just 12% are adequately prepared for a disruptive climate event.

The researchers emphasize global supply chains as a central organizing mechanism of the economy. “Their effective management,” they say, “involves making trade-offs between network efficiency and resilience, as well as broader environmental, social, and governance impacts.”

This event is part of a webinar series co-hosted by Maryland Smith’s Center for Financial Policy and UBS. The series, “The Second Objective Function,” is part of an ESG initiative exploring the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance questions that are increasingly pressing for organizations and investors.

Register at https://go.umd.edu/S5b.