Climate Inflation

 

Climate change has a clear economic impact on you and your family TODAY. It is one of the primary drivers of inflation through globalized supply chains that are impacted by climate change-induced extreme weather. This is known as Greenflation, Climateflation, or Climate Inflation. Crop yields, transportation, logistics, and manufacturing are often disrupted by floods, droughts, and wildfires that used to be once-in-a-hundred-year events and are now common. This causes shortages that lead to price surges that end up being paid for by you when you purchase basic needs such as bread, butter, coffee, vegetables, socks, shirts, and other clothing.

Recently, the flooding in Pakistan contributed to the rise in global cotton prices; record-breaking temperatures in South America caused coffee prices to increase because entire plantations needed to be uprooted and relocated to cooler regions.

We are experiencing one climate emergency after another — from historic heatwaves to massive fires and devastating floods. According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, “there is nothing in world climatic history which is even minimally comparable . . .”

We are experiencing one climate emergency after another — from historic heatwaves to massive fires and devastating floods. According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, “there is nothing in world climatic history which is even minimally comparable . . .”

Climate change is a financial risk impacting your families and communities everywhere. As You Sow is at the forefront of helping corporations establish climate transition plans in accordance with the Paris agreements. We engage with companies by offering data-driven solutions and making requests for more transparency and disclosure. When needed, we escalate by filing shareholder resolutions.

We did this with 78 corporations in 2022 including Berkshire Hathaway, Chevron, and Caterpillar asking them for disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions targets and net zero plans that align with the Paris agreement.

Climate change is not an abstract concept in the future. Climate inflation is here today and has an impact on every product that you purchase. Choose companies that take climate change seriously when you purchase products and make investments. Your decisions drive market forces, every choice you make counts. To learn more visit www.ClimateInflation.org