The mitigation of climate change produces winners and losers depending on the risks and opportunities associated with it. The recipients of these risks and opportunities are governments, organizations, businesses, and individuals. While risks might plunge many of these businesses and organizations into debt and closure, the opportunities might just be a lifeline for others.

Climate risks are risks connected to the mitigation of climate change. These risks are physical risks, transition risks, litigation risks, and reputation risks.

Physical Risks: These risks stem from the manifestation of climate change in our environment. These risks include ocean acidification, drought & water shortage, wildfires, flooding, heat waves, increase sea levels, heightened temperatures, and melting of ice sheets.

Transition Risks: These are risks emanating from the transition from high carbon emission to low carbon emission. For businesses and organizations taking the transition route, the risks involved are stranded assets, transitioning costs, transitioning speed, and changes in consumer demand.

Litigation risks: Policy actions around climate change continue to evolve. Their objectives fall into two categories—policy actions that attempt to constrain actions that contribute to the adverse effects of climate change or policy actions that seek to promote adaptation to climate change.

The risk associated with, and budgetary impact of policy changes depend on the nature and timing of the policy change. As the value of loss and damage arising from climate change grows, litigation risk is also likely to increase. Some of these risks include litigation to allocate climate responsibility and cost, litigation over lack of disclosure, greenwashing, and climate bankruptcy.

Reputation risks: A shift in demand towards eco-friendly products and services from consumers will damage the reputation of businesses and organizations that fail to adapt. This will lead to consumer boycotts which is a reputation risk.

Climate change also produces opportunities for businesses and organizations. These opportunities are however dependent on the region, market, and industry in which the organizations and businesses operate.

These opportunities are direct responses to the risks posed by climate change, for example, a flood which is a physical risk is an opportunity for the building of flood defenses which is an innovation.

These climate opportunities include resource efficiency opportunities like geothermal utilization, the development of electric cars, and water treatment. A shift to low-emission alternatives leads to opportunities in renewable energy sources like wind energy, solar energy, and hydro energy.

The demand for low-emission products and services by eco-friendly consumers provides market opportunities for businesses and organizations knee-deep into the production of such goods and services and for those aiming to thread these waters. For organizations and businesses whose aim is climate resilience, opportunities like improved efficiency, designing new production plans, and developing new eco-friendly products are very important.

Climate change opportunities is becoming a trend which has enticed so many investors and thus made way for climate-ready investments. An example of such is notable investments is the production of electric cars and renewable energy sources which are boosted by ecofriendly customers willing to change their way of life to aid in the fight against climate change.

One thing for sure is that climate change produces risks and opportunities and though we all are affected by the adverse effects of these risks, we can as well get to benefit financially from the opportunities.