A climate consultant is becoming a popular addition to many businesses. It’s impactful work related to the climate change discussion. This discussion centers around if climate change is truly “man-caused”, and if so, what businesses can do to mitigate the impact on our world.
Therefore it’s only prudent that more and more businesses are investing in climate consulting.
Until recently the role of climate consultant was largely unheard of in the consulting landscape. Now, however, climate consulting is becoming one of the most in-demand forms of professional advisory and consulting services. Businesses of all kinds are forced to consider the impacts, threats, and opportunities posed by climate change.
In this article, we’ll take a close look at what this new field of climate consulting actually is. We’ll also look at the various different kinds of climate consultants, some different firms specializing in climate consulting, and what kind of salary you can expect from a climate consulting career.
What Is Climate Consulting?
Since it’s such a new field, it’s worth asking the question: what is climate consulting? While it takes many forms, in general, climate consulting is a form of professional consulting that focuses on a business’s relationship to the causes and effects of climate change. Climate change creates new risks and opportunities that businesses must contend with to survive and remain competitive. Climate consulting helps them do just that. Further, whether companies are moved by corporate values, laws, or ESG standards, climate consulting can help businesses lower their carbon footprint and achieve greater sustainability at every stage of their operations.
Damages as a result of weather-related disasters have increased significantly in recent decades. In 1980, the global cost of such disasters was $12 billion. In 2020, the global cost was nearly $120 billion. Climate consulting can help minimize that cost for businesses and governments alike.
Types of Climate Consultants
Now let’s take a look at some of the different types of climate consultants.
Climate Resilience Consulting
Climate resilience consultants help businesses, communities, and governments design and implement plans for developing a greater ability to withstand and adapt to the worst effects of climate change. Buildings in Japan and San Francisco have had to develop earthquake-proof engineering. Likewise, current and future structures must be re-engineered to survive climate change. Buildings and homes will need to be designed and built differently to withstand the environmental threats of climate change. Communities and infrastructure will also need to be updated. And businesses will have to adapt to—and recover from—the increased possibility of climate-related shocks. They’ll need to add resilience to their physical structures, as well as their supply chains, shipping operations, pricing models, and more.
Climate Risk Consulting
Climate risk consulting helps businesses and governments make sense of the potential threats posed by climate change, so they can make better decisions about how to invest capital and how to adapt their operations going forward. A climate risk consultant might help a business determine what sorts of shocks they might experience in their supply chain due to extreme weather events. Or such a consultant might advise a business on which of several possible factory locations are more or less at risk for damage and disruption. They might also help governments prepare for the economic and political instability of increasing climate-based migration.
Climate Adaptation Consultants
The changing climate could impact all the other factors driving global change, which also include technological development, political change, and more. Existing businesses and governments must look at how their business operations could impact the environment, and put sustainability front and center.
Climate adaptation consulting might involve moving physical operations to a new location to minimize the negative effects of climate change. It might also involve advising a company on how to change its product to use materials that are less threatened by climate change. Climate adaptation also involves taking advantage of new opportunities. For example, certain previously inaccessible parts of the world—especially those that frequently experience arctic conditions—may support more commercial activity in the future. A climate adaptation consultant might help businesses exploit those opportunities by creating new markets in anticipation of the rise of such commercial activity.
Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting
Sustainability and climate change consulting helps companies take a more proactive—if challenging—role in response to global climate change. Increasing awareness of the environment is leading to a greater expectation for corporate responsibility. This involves creating more environmentally sustainable practices. A climate change consulting firm focusing on sustainability may work with a company to minimize negative environmental consequences to its operations. Some larger companies are even exploring ways to help contribute to causes like reforestation and carbon dioxide removal.
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Climate Change Consulting Firms
The following is a list of major climate change consultancies who are helping businesses and governments build a more sustainable and resilient future:
- EY
- McKinsey & Company
- BCG
- Deloitte
- KPMG
- Bain & Company
- Accenture
- DuPont Sustainable Solutions (dss+)
- Environmental Resource Management (ERM)
Climate Change Consultant Salary
Climate change consultants often enjoy competitive salaries that reflect their specialized skills and expertise. As the demand for their services continues to rise, companies and organizations are willing to invest in experienced professionals who can provide valuable insights and solutions. Additionally, consultants may have opportunities for bonuses and incentives based on their performance and the positive impact they make in addressing climate change. As this is a new field and quickly changing, check with the firm on what bonuses and incentives they are currently offering.
Climate change consultancy can be financially rewarding, as well as ethically rewarding. Climate consultants reportedly earn an average salary of $92,000.
Conclusion
Climate change presents significant challenges to business operations. Its impacts are far-reaching, affecting individuals, communities, governments, and businesses alike. It is crucial for the world to utilize available tools and knowledge to effectively address these potential threats and transform them into opportunities. Climate change consulting plays a vital role in this endeavor. By pursuing a career as a climate consultant, individuals can engage in meaningful and impactful work, contributing to the collective effort of addressing climate change and creating a more sustainable future for all. Join the ranks of climate consultants and make a difference today.
Additional Resources:
- Top Consulting Firms of 2023
- Top 10 Boutique Consulting Firms in US
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide