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UW Climate Risk Lab

UW CLIMATE
RISK LAB

OUR MISSION is to make the best climate risk data, analysis and tools available for all

Our vision is a future where climate risk is accounted for across all organizational decision-making worldwide.

The UW Climate Risk Lab (CRL) is a multidisciplinary research and innovation center based at the University of Washington Foster School of Business in the Department of Finance & Business Economics. Established in 2022, it advances data and technology solutions to issues in climate-related financial risk for corporate and government decision-makers. Phillip Bruner, co-founder of the CRL, currently serves as its Executive Director.

The CRL brings together academics and professionals in climate finance, risk management, business analytics, data engineering, computer science, atmospheric sciences, supply chain management, information systems and AI. It collaborates with several initiatives within the University of Washington (UW), which include the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, Clean Energy Institute, Creative Destruction Lab, eSciences Institute and Urban Infrastructure Lab. Its external partners include: the Duke Energy Data Analytics Lab, the Pacific Northwest Mission Accelerator Center and Washington Maritime Blue.

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Problems we’re aiming to solve

  • Climate risks are understood to be material, but the industry for climate risk solutions is nascent. An absence of shared research and common best practices limits collective action.
  • Climate Risk models aren’t widely used by industry. Interfaces between corporate and academic researchers in the field of climate risk are non-existent.
  • Current solutions are difficult for potential users to evaluate and impossible for students to access. Open source tools and models are not often tailored to specific end-user needs.
  • Commercial solutions are too expensive for critical applications in public and non-profit sectors. Significant high value research and academic expertise is underutilized for the common good.

Solutions facilitated by UW CRL

  • An open access data platform that will offer standardized, useable, downloadable climate risk data to non-profit and government end-users free.
  • Faculty- and student-led CR research projects that bridge the researcher-corporate divide. Projects will be tailored to specific end-user needs and experience to maximize impacts.
  • Multi-stakeholder forums, networking events and case competitions coordinated by student-led organizations and UW faculty research groups to disseminate research and share innovations.
  • Courses and training for students, faculty and business leaders in CR management.
  • Mentoring and support for data- and software-driven climate tech startups built by UW entrepreneurs.
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Team

Phillip Bruner

Phillip BrunerExecutive Director
Xiaojuan Liu

Xiaojuan LiuClimate Data Scientist
Eric Collins

Eric CollinsGeospatial Data Engineer
Simon Park

Simon ParkProduct Manager
Adam Whitney

Adam WhitneyBiodiversity Risk Analyst
Lisan Kent

Lisan KentAdministrative Assistant

Climate Risk Wiki

The Climate Risk Wiki is the world’s first central repository for all open source climate-related financial risk data, analysis and toolsets – co-created and governed by an interdisciplinary team of academic researchers and students at the University of Washington. Our vision is a future where climate risk is accounted for in all organizational decision-making worldwide.

The Climate Risk Wiki is a user-friendly, centralized resource facilitating easy exploration for experts and non-experts alike. The Wiki is organized into the two meta-categories of climate-related financial risk according to the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures: physical and transition. Embracing open knowledge principles, it offers free and open access to university researchers and students in all jurisdictions.

The Climate Risk Wiki allows expert user contributions and updates, which are overseen by our editorial board, ensuring data accuracy, timeliness and reliability. Our primary aim is to become a federated dataset, with leading climate-related financial risk research available in multiple languages.


Steering Committee

Léonard Boussioux

Léonard BoussiouxClimate AI & InfoSys
Emer Dooley

Emer DooleyCreative Destruction Lab
Dale Durran

Dale DurranAtmospheric Sciences
Kristie Ebi

Kristie EbiCHanGE
Brian McCartan

Brian McCartanFmr UW VP Finance
Dan Schwartz

Dan SchwartzClean Energy Institute
Jan Whittington

Jan WhittingtonUrban Infrastructure Lab

External Advisors

Charlie Donovan

Charlie DonovanChief Economic Advisor at Impax Asset Management
Kommy Weldemariam

Kommy WeldemariamChief Scientist at Amazon

Contact

Founders Hall
4215 E Stevens Way NE
Seattle, WA 98195

Follow the Climate Risk Lab on LinkedIn

Please reach out via email with questions.