Brad Plumer reported last week at The New York Times Online that, “In Charleston, S.C., where the ports have been expanding to accommodate larger ships sailing through the newly widened Panama Canal, a real-estate developer named Xebec Realty recently went looking for land to build new warehouses and logistics centers.
“But first, Xebec had a question: What were the odds that the sites it was considering might be underwater in 10 or 20 years?“
Mr. Plumer explained that, “So Xebec turned to a Silicon Valley start-up called Jupiter, which offered to analyze local weather and hydrological data and combine it with climate model projections to assess the potential climate risks Xebec might face in Charleston over the next few decades from things like heavier rainfall, sea level rise or increased storm surge.”
The Times article added that, “As companies around the world grow concerned about the risks of climate change, they have started looking for clarity on how warming might disrupt their operations in the future. But governments in the United States and Europe have been slow to translate academic research on global warming into practical, timely advice for businesses or local city planners.
“Now some private companies, like Jupiter, are trying to fill the gap.”
