Giving Compass' Take:

• Tina Casey reports that the National Climate Assessment makes the business case for climate action.

• How can funders and impact investors work to help companies shift toward sustainability? 

• Read a donor's guide to addressing environmental issues. 

The Trump administration released the latest National Climate Assessment the day after Thanksgiving Day. This kind of timing is considered a fairly effective way to release bad news to the public, without attracting too much attention from the public. However, the opportunity for dissembling may prove illusory. The corporate social responsibility movement all but guarantees that the impacts of climate change will receive a vigorous airing over the weeks to come.

So, why is it more likely than not that U.S. businesses will react strongly to the new report?

The obvious reason is that many leading companies are already well aware of the risks and impacts of climate change. They are already taking significant steps to transition to a low carbon economy, both within their own operations and in collaboration with their host communities, local governments and other stakeholders.

In addition to high profile actions like investing in clean energy and addressing lifecycle issues, businesses are also adjusting to new developments in insurance and risk management related to climate change. The financial community is also stepping in to ramp up low carbon investing.

Leading U.S. businesses have also recognized that environmental issues are important to consumers, and they are eager to promote their products in the context of sustainability. The consumer angle will grow in force as list of impacts grows. The California wildfires earlier this month are just the latest in a string of climate-linked extreme natural disasters in the U.S.

Read the full article about the businesses case for climate action by Tina Casey at TriplePundit.