Maarten van Aalst: Future of climate risk management is local

Climate risk assessment is a growing business, but most of it has been focused so far on major infrastructure projects like coastal protection or making highways that can withstand storm surges even if they are located close to the sea in a storm-prone area.

That is the case for instance in Japan, but not in less developed economies where these structures are needed the most, Maarten van Aalst, head of climate risk management at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said during an interview with Devex Editor Rolf Rosenkranz at the European Development Days in Brussels.

“I think the finer texture of the more local risk management is where some of the most interesting opportunities should lie,” he commented. “And there’s an inevitable growth market. Possibly, the most so in the countries where the needs are highest.”

Catch the full interview here for more of van Aalst’s insights on how the private sector should explore climate risk business opportunities in these markets, which are less developed now but with huge growth potential for global financing in the future.

Visit us at the 2013 European Development Days and watch out for more Devex coverage of news and views from Europe’s leading global development event of the year.

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