My interest in climate change started on a professional basis in 2007 when I discovered that it was already having an impact on some insurance business I was responsible for. In March 2009 I co-presented a talk on the “Risk of ruin” from climate change at a large scientific conference in Copenhagen, prior to the COP 15 talks in December 2009. This used my professional training and experience as an insurance actuary to look at climate change from a risk management perspective.

Some sources for further reading about climate science

The Royal Society in the UK and the US National Academy of Sciences have jointly issued a document “Climate Change Evidence and Causes”. The introduction of the document starts with the following paragraph:

“CLIMATE CHANGE IS ONE OF THE DEFINING ISSUES OF OUR TIME. It is now more certain than ever, based on many lines of evidence, that humans are changing Earth’s climate. The atmosphere and oceans have warmed, accompanied by sea-level rise, a strong decline in Arctic sea ice, and other climate-related changes.”

Also, the Royal Society has created a Short Guide to Climate Science, with Q&A’s, answering questions such as, “How do scientsts know that recent climate change is largely caused by human activities?” and “Are climate changes of a few degrees a cause for concern?”.

For more detail, particularly on long term climate change, there is a US National Academy of Sciences called Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts over Decades to Millennia. 

RealClimate.org is a blog written by practicing climate scientists. I’ve found it very helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of climate science issues.