The CO2 Foundation is supporting an online dialogue on extreme weather events and human behavior: an “ah ha” moment for the financial sector. This unique project is led by Preventable Surprises CEO Jerome Tagger, and will be run in partnership with Ethical Systems.

The goal is to convene financial institutions, climate scientists, social psychologists, and behavioral scientists via a week-long, text-based, global, online dialogue to better understand how the experience of extreme weather events can catalyze accelerated climate action, and to incubate a more forceful response by the financial sector.

In spite of decades of increasingly alarming scientific warnings, greenhouse gas emissions remain far too high and continue to rise, and the financial sector is shifting too slowly. In recent years, the dramatic multiplication of extreme weather events, from droughts in Europe to floods in Pakistan to heat waves all around is beginning to visibly impact societies and economies.

A growing number of individuals, including economic and finance leaders, are now directly experiencing the harsh consequences of climate change. Can and will this increasingly direct experience spur accelerated action? This multidisciplinary dialogue will aim to find out.

The CO2 Foundation is enthusiastic about supporting this project because of the collaboration Preventable Surprises and partner Ethical Systems will foster, and the unique conversational format. We look forward to seeing how the dialogue can help transform the climate finance conversation and trigger renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Preventable Surprises activates deep global networks to spark difficult conversations about responsible finance, and is at the forefront of climate finance advocacy. This event will be by invitation only; inquiries may be directed to info@preventablesurprises.com.