Amidst Changing Weather, Zurich Commits to Responsible Investment

It wasn't so long ago that "talking about the weather" was simply a euphemism for not saying much at all, when weather was just a fraught-free topic, a social lubricant, something for strangers to chat about. But in the midst of one of the most meteorologically extreme summers the world has seen in decades—with record-breaking heat, crop-destroying drought and killer floods—it has become clear that the weather is no longer a light topic. And it's changing because of climate change.

Earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued the 2011 State of the Climate report, "a detailed update on global climate indicators, notable weather events and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments on land, sea, ice and sky."[1] The report's conclusions represents the first time that U.S. government scientists acknowledge that recent extreme weather events are likely tied to man-made climate change.

"2011 will be remembered as a year of extreme events, both in the United States and around the world," said Deputy NOAA Administrator Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D. "Every weather event that happens now takes place in the context of a changing global environment. This annual report provides scientists and citizens alike with an analysis of what has happened so we can all prepare for what is to come."[2]

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Reynard is a Justmeans staff writer for Sustainable Finance and Corporate Social Responsibility. A former media executive with 15 years experience in the private and non-profit sectors, Reynard is the co-founder of MomenTech, a New York-based experimental production studio that explores transnational progressivism, neo-nomadism, post-humanism and futurism. He is also author of the blog 13.7 Billion Years, covering cosmology, biodiversity, animal welfare, conservation and ethical consumption. He is currently developing the Underground Desert Living Unit (UDLU), a sustainable single-family dwelling envisioned as a potential adaptation response to the future loss of human habitat due to the effects of anthropogenic climate change. Reynard is also a contributing author of "Biomes and Ecosystems," a comprehensive reference encyclopedia of the Earth's key biological and geographic classifications, to be published by Salem Press in 2013.