Adaptation to a Warmer World Is Critical Now

Many parts of the world have not had the genuine debate about climate policy but what you believe no longer seems relevant at this stage of global discussions and local politics - the fact is that it is happening, who is to blame can be seen as irrelevant in the short term.

But we had better learn to adapt.

The problem with global warming isn't the warming; the consequences are what matter.

It doesn't really matter whether climate change is caused by humans or part of a natural cycle. It might halve the yield of crops, change the plankton distribution and the ocean currents and flood large coastal areas. The real problem is how to cope. While I would love to see humanity unite and cooperate to slow the problem, I am not holding my breath. We must adapt.

It is not responsible to have a business as usual approach and ignore the realities that our climate is becoming more variable. Instead we need to both plan to build in more flexibility, and to increase our efforts to reduce our carbon and other emissions as well as taking care of other harmful environmental impacts of our operations.

Around Australia we are seeing more intense bushfires, cyclones and other storms plus a reduction of water in our rivers. There are predictions this could become worse.

These climate impacts are already causing increased numbers of business failures, bankruptcies and suicide rates. Fishers and farmers who are used to being hands and active are surprisingly vulnerable when they find themselves helpless and unable to cope with the dramatic changes in their lives.

If you are a business owner or manager you need to ask "what are you doing to plan for the greater climate variability and inevitable economic turmoil that is coming?"

If you can't cure a disease you need to manage the symptoms and not just sit back and wait to be a victim.

An example of two approaches to the same problem of living in a low lying country is Bangladesh and Holland. Bangladesh needs to become like Holland or else become a victim. They will certainly need financial help but they will need this in the form of rescue if they do not take decisive action.

Failure to plan is planning to fail. This applies on a small as well as a big scale.

So how can you plan to make your business more adaptable so that you do not become a victim? You need to think seriously about diversifying so that all your eggs are not in one basket and susceptible to being dropped and broken. My favourite marketing coach always says "one is an evil number". You need to find another one, two or three viable options and start implementing these? You will find that this leads to to sustainable business.

What I help my clients do is to identify all your activities so that you can discover where you have risks and how significant those risks are. Then I help you build a simple and effective system to manage your risks and include feedback and continual review and improvement. The process takes around four to six months.

It really does not matter which system you choose to be certified in. I suggest you become certified in which ever system gives you the best marketing advantage or risk management.

You can do safety, environment (and include carbon reduction to save money on your energy) and quality which is mainly about satisfying customers - those vital people who pay your bills.

Businesses in my groups are often doing a mixture of systems because apart from the initial choice of risks to manage, all the systems are essentially the same and I encourage you to include the other risks because that helps your business be more adaptable.

Because you understand your own system with my form of training and mentoring, it is very easy to add additional risks so that your system grows with you and makes your business very adaptable to change.

Very importantly you will NOT need an extra person to help you run your system when it is simple and low paper. You will find that your system saves you time.

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Getting Accreditation Just Got a Whole Lot Easier Jean Cannon provides simple and effective online training that helps you get ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and safety in your small to medium business. When you go to www.enviroaction.com.au you will discover how to quickly and easily get your Quality, Safety and Environment ISO accreditation so you increase profits, reduce your risks and attract more clients.

Posted on 2010-04-28, By: Jean Cannon *

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Note: The content of this article solely conveys the opinion of its author, Jean Cannon