The problem of RISK is substantial, and the risk associated with climate change may be bigger than anything we can imagine. The fact that climate change is happening is clear from the data ... some of which is shown in this slideset. While we can use technology to change man-built-systems, this cannot be done with natural systems which are both complex and different in scale from anything man can easily comprehend. Mitigating this risk is an urgent imperative.

1. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
RISK
CLIMATE CHANGE
SOME OF THE DATA
File: RISK-p3-12-CLIMATE-CHANGE-data-150824.odp Peter Burgess (c) All rights reserved

2. EXPLANATION
This slideset is A WORK-IN-PROGRESS. It will be
upgraded periodically. It is part of a series of more than
50 slidesets. Navigation to all of these is available here:
FEEDBACK is welcome. Please email to Peter Burgess …
peterbnyc@gmail.com … with a catchy phrase in the
subject line so that it gets attention, and please identify
the specific slideset(s) involved. This explanation is
version v150801. The most current text is available at:
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
http://www.truevaluemetrics.org/DBadmin/DBtxt001.php?vv1=txt00010199
http://www.truevaluemetrics.org/DBadmin/DBtxt001.php?vv1=N1-Slidesets-p3

3. INTRODUCTION
The fact of people in leadership positions around the
world who don't know science is both appalling and
dangerous. Such people are in politics, the media, and
corporate executive suites. There is misinformation and
many people are persuaded by the misinformation. My
hope is that showing some of the data in an easy way
might help. The following material has been sourced from
a very interesting blog published by the Climate Reality
Project at this URL:
http://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/10-indicators-that-show-climate-change
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

4. There is a need to come up with a way to link the huge
RISK associated with climate change back to the day to
day decisions that are driving the modern day economy,
from decisions made by individual people, to those made
by corporate CEOs and those made by politicians and
regulators. The idea that more growth and more profit are
healthy measures of socio-enviro-economic performance
must be complemented by thinking about the impact
there is on people and planet including especially the
RISK that continuing profligate use of fossil fuel based
energy is going to have on everything. Metrics to
measure this is an essential … hence TrueValueMetrics
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

5. The long term fact of global warming is shown in the
following 10 graphs. They are not from single sources,
but reflect data from a number of different sources over a
long time. These graphs show results. They do not, in
themselves explain causality. They are an important part
of the fact base that enables system modeling that can
help explain the past and help make meaningful
predictions about the future.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

6. Once again … the following material has been sourced
from a blog published by the Climate Reality Project at
this URL:
http://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/10-indicators-that-show-climate-change
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

7. The following are 10 major changes scientists have seen
in our climate system. Each indicator described below
has been extensively studied over the past several
decades, and was captured from many different data sets
and technologies.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

8. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPLand surface air temperature 1850 to 2008

9. It’s clear that weather stations on land show average air
temperatures are rising, and as a result, the frequency
and severity of droughts and heat waves are increasing.
Intense droughts can lead to destructive wildfires, failed
crops, and low water supplies, many of which are deeply
affecting southern areas of the United States and other
parts of the world.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

10. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPAir temperatures over oceans … 1850 to 2008

11. Roughly 70 percent of the world is covered by oceans, so
you can understand how hotter air over them could make
a vast difference in the climate system. Oceans evaporate
more water as the air right near the surface gets warmer.
The result? More floods, more hurricanes, and more
extreme precipitation events.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

12. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPSeptember arctic sea ice extent … 1940 to 2008

13. Satellite images from space show that the area covered
by sea ice in the Artic is shrinking, and it’s continued a
downward trend for the past 30 years. The Arctic ice cap
grows each winter when there’s less sunlight, and
shrinks each summer when days are longer, reaching its
lowest point of the year in September. Some research
suggests that the Arctic could lose almost all of its
summer ice cover by 2100, but others believe that it could
melt completely much sooner than that – in just a few
decades.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

14. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPGlacier mass balance … 1940 to 2008

15. The disappearance of glaciers is one of the clearest signs
of climate change. People who rely on melting glacier
water are facing shortages, and in many regions, the
situation is only getting worse. In a world unaffected by
climate change, glacier mass stays balanced, meaning
the ice that evaporates in the summer is fully replaced by
snowfall in the winter. However, when more ice melts than
is replaced, the glacier loses mass. And the people who
depend on melting ice for water to support their farming
and living needs are deeply affected.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

16. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPSea Level rise … 1850 to 2000

17. Sea levels have been rising for the past century. And the
pace is only increasing in recent years as glaciers melt
faster and water temperatures increase, causing oceans
to expand. You can imagine how this would affect the
almost 40 percent of the US population that lives in a
highly populated coastal area. Let’s not forget that eight
of the 10 largest cities in the world are near a coast.
Consider how many millions of people are at risk as sea
levels rise, storms intensify, and more extreme flooding
occurs. Additionally, marine life is threatened as salt
water intrudes into fresh water aquifers, many of which
support human communities and natural ecosystems.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

18. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPHumidity … 1940 to 2008

19. More humidity means more water vapor is in the air,
making it feel stickier in hot weather. Water vapor itself is
an important part of the water cycle, and it contributes to
the earth’s natural greenhouse effect. Air conditioners
have to work harder to make us feel cool as the amount of
water vapor in the air increases. Which means more
energy use, which can in turn contribute to more climate
change. Lose-lose.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

20. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPOcean heat content … 1940 to 2008

21. The ocean stores and releases heat over long periods of
time. This is a natural and important part of stabilizing the
climate system. Natural climate patterns (think, El Niño)
occur regularly because of warmer ocean waters and
influence areas like regional climates and marine life.
But it’s when short-term, natural climate patterns like El
Niño occur at the same time as oceans are becoming
warmer and warmer that we know that larger changes are
happening. The increased heat content leads to higher
sea levels, melting glaciers, and stress to marine
ecosystems.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

22. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPSea surface temperature … 1850 to 2008

23. Measuring instruments show that water temperatures at
the ocean’s surface are going up. To some extent, this is
a normal pattern: the ocean surface warms as it absorbs
sunlight. The ocean then releases some of its heat into
the atmosphere, creating wind and rain clouds. However,
as the ocean’s surface temperature continues to increase
over time, more and more heat is released into the
atmosphere. This additional heat can lead to stronger and
more frequent storms like tropical cyclones and
hurricanes.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

24. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPSnow cover … 1850 to 2008

25. Satellites show areas covered by snow in the Northern
Hemisphere are becoming smaller. Snow is important as
it helps control how much of the sun’s energy Earth
absorbs. Light-colored snow and ice reflect this energy
back into space, helping keep the planet cool. However,
as the snow and ice melts, it’s replaced by dark land and
ocean, both of which absorb energy. The amount of snow
and ice loss in the last 30 years is higher than many
scientists predicted, which means the Earth is absorbing
more solar energy than had been projected.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

26. MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
Sun
BOP
Sun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun SunSun
Financial
Capital
Human
Capital
Man Built
Capital
Natural
Capital
Sun
EOPLower atmosphere temperature … 1940 to 2008

27. The lowest layer of the atmosphere, called the
troposphere, is the layer we’re most familiar with – it’s
where we live and where our weather occurs. Satellite
measurements show that this lowest layer of the
atmosphere is warming as greenhouse gases build up
and trap heat that radiates from the Earth’s surface.
Scientists tell us that human activity, particularly the
burning of fossil fuels, caused this increase in
atmospheric temperatures. In fact, carbon dioxide levels
have increased about 40 percent since the Industrial
Revolution began in 1750. And unless we put a stop to
this trend as soon as possible, these levels – and
temperatures – likely will increase even more.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

28. THE SIGNS ARE CLEAR. IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION.
It’s difficult to argue against what’s happening once
you’ve seen these ten climate change indicators.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

29. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The graphs and text in the previous slides are from a post
by the Climate Reality Project at this URL:
http://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/10-indicators-that-show-climate-change
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

30. SO … EXACTLY WHAT ACTION CAN BE TAKEN ...
A start is to understand that per capita emissions of
carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the United States
and Canada are about 20 tonnes per capita per year
compared to less than 8 tonnes per capita per year in
Europe. The US has a very profitable economy, but in
environmental terms, the US has a very inefficient
economy.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

31. Worse … the US is moving very slowly compared to other
countries to make the critical changes needed for a
sustainable socio-enviro-economic system. The main
metrics driving decision making in the US are corporate
profit, stock market valuations and GDP growth …
metrics that on their own guarantee environmentally
inefficient outcomes. In Europe, Germany, Denmark and
others are moving faster … not to mention China that has
embraced renewables on a scale unimaginable in the US!
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

32. HOW TO FIX THE INEFFICIENT US ECONOMY ...
(1) Buildings are a big part of the problem. Massive
retrofit of existing inefficient buildings is essential. There
is going to be an immediate money cost of doing this, but
this is going to be small compared to the risk reduction.
Unfortunately with current money metrics (conventional
FASB accounting) there is very weak accounting for risk
and business school trained financial analysts discount
the future in a manner that is dangerously irresponsible.
The environmental cost of energy waste in buildings is
priced at ZERO when it should be substantial.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

33. HOW TO FIX THE INEFFICIENT US ECONOMY ...
(2) Transportation is another part of the problem. There
are ways to reduce the energy used for transportation but
it is made difficult by almost all the established
stakeholders. The money price of energy used in
transportation is relatively low, and the pricing of the
'truecost' of environmental risk is ZERO when it should
be substantial.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

34. HOW TO FIX THE INEFFICIENT US ECONOMY ...
(3) Personal consumption is yet another part of the
problem. Some level of consumption is essential to
satisfy needs, but much consumption is merely to satisfy
frivolous wants. People need to be able to have more
happiness and a better quality of life doing things that
involve less consumption of energy intensive product.
Again, this change is difficult when the price of energy
excludes the 'truecost' of environmental risk.
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING

35. REMINDER
This slideset is A WORK-IN-PROGRESS. It will be
upgraded periodically. It is part of a series of more than
50 slidesets. Navigation to all of these is available here:
FEEDBACK is welcome. Please email to Peter Burgess …
peterbnyc@gmail.com … with a catchy phrase in the
subject line so that it gets attention, and please identify
the specific slideset(s) involved. This explanation is
version v150801. The most current text is available at:
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
http://www.truevaluemetrics.org/DBadmin/DBtxt001.php?vv1=txt00010199
http://www.truevaluemetrics.org/DBadmin/DBtxt001.php?vv1=N1-Slidesets-p3

36. THANK YOU
Some links and contact information:
Peter Burgess … peterbnyc@gmail.com
Peter Burgess LinkedIn profile
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterburgess1
Link to TrueValueMetrics.org website
http://www.truevaluemetrics.org/
Link to navigation to other slides in this series:
MULTI DIMENSION IMPACT ACCOUNTING
http://www.truevaluemetrics.org/DBadmin/DBtxt001.php?vv1=N1-Slidesets-p3