Preparing your company for climate change: Q&A with Walt Zalis
Climate change is reshaping how businesses operate, and the ability to adapt is becoming a defining factor for future success. To explore how companies can navigate this evolving landscape, we sat down with Senior Program Director of Energy Transition, Climate and Buildings, Walt Zalis. With extensive experience leading climate action planning at Energetics, now part of CLEAResult, Walt has a wealth of practical insights on preparing for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
How do you foresee companies adapting their business practices in response to climate change?
Businesses will need to prioritize education and awareness among their employees and stakeholders to adapt effectively. Everyone must understand their role in resilience efforts, which might include hiring specialized teams to focus on preparation, adaptation and investment in resilience measures.
Companies will also need to optimize their supply chains by making strategic investments to reduce risk and ensure continuity. For example, investing in climate-ready infrastructure will be important for keeping employees safe and maintaining customer satisfaction. Additionally, companies should invest in technology that allows for workforce flexibility, enabling them to respond swiftly and effectively to climate-related disruptions.
With the increasing focus on climate resiliency, what proactive steps should companies take?
To best prepare for future climate impacts, companies should conduct comprehensive inventories of resources, assess challenges associated with their geographical locations, and identify specific threats posed by climate change, including impacts on partners and supply chain dependencies.
Effective data management is crucial; companies need to find, organize and utilize data that accurately reflect their climate resilience. A thorough climate vulnerability assessment, supported by robust data, is essential. Hiring a full-time climate director can significantly enhance a company’s preparedness by establishing mechanisms for data collection and analysis, as well as overseeing organizational sustainability and other risk control activities.
How are Energetics and CLEAResult leveraging their combined expertise to help companies address operational challenges posed by extreme weather?
Combining Energetics’ strong technology and energy transition expertise with CLEAResult’s extensive utility and energy program experience gives us comprehensive insights into both operational and financial challenges. This allows for the development of tailored solutions that enhance companies’ resilience and adaptation to extreme weather. Additionally, Energetics brings a deep understanding of climate science, along with planning and analytical experience from numerous projects with federal, state and local governments. This will all help ensure that companies are well-prepared to navigate the complexities of climate change impacts.
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Walt Zalis is a Senior Program Director who has been supporting Energetics clients since 2006. Over the last 18 years, Walt has led, facilitated and supported projects focused on climate change, market transformation, technology development, hydrogen and fuel cells, green buildings, alternative fuel vehicles, disaster resilience, and other important topics. He has experience supporting and working with various clients including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Fire Protection Association, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as several state and local governments.
For more information about Energetics’ capabilities, visit their page on our website.
For more on decarbonization, visit our Decarbonization Consulting & Engineering Services pages.
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