Wales Climate Week 2024

Held annually in November, Wales Climate Week brings public sector bodies and networks, to industry bodies and businesses, environmental organisations, academic institutions and more, to consider how to collectively deliver policies and programmes associated with climate change.

As part of this year’s virtual conference, on Wednesday 13 November Food & Drink Wales are hosting two sessions that will discuss the impact of climate change on the industry, and the need for food and drink businesses to adapt to meet these challenges.

Wednesday 13 November

9am – 10am: Adapting to Climate Change: Safeguarding Food Security for the Future

The session will explore how climate change impacts food availability and access. The conversation will focus on strategies to adapt and enhance resilience, and ensure sustainable food supply, while addressing the challenges of a changing global climate.

Panel members are:

• David Morris (Chair) (Deputy Head of Food Division, Welsh Government)
• Professor Timothy Lang (Professor Emeritus of Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy. University of London, School of Psychological and Health Sciences)
• Alison Lea-Wilson (Deputy Chair, Food & Drink Wales Industry Board / Halen Môn)
• Edward Morgan (Castell Howell)

Target audience: This session is suitable for members of the general public, businesses, retailers and public services as food security affects us all

10.15am – 10.45am: The business imperative behind climate adaptation

Adapting your business to cope with the impacts of climate change and exploit potential opportunities can feel overwhelming in the face of the day to day challenges of running a business. Businesses operate in complex and inter-connected supply chains with distant as well as local climate events impacting our economy and society. This session will unpick the complexities of understanding the impact of climate change on business by highlighting some of the climate critical control points within any business. Consideration will be given to both tactical and strategic responses that a business can deploy to be agile and take a risk management approach to understanding how climate change may negatively or positively impact key business functions. We will consider supply chains, operations, premises, people, customers and consumers and the financial implications on a business.

The session is hosted by BIC Innovation:

• Linda Grant (Chair) (BIC Innovation)
• Alison Haselgrove (BIC Innovation)

Target audience: This session is suitable for businesses of all sizes and sectors, but particularly SMEs, organisations offering support to businesses, policy makers who are developing interventions to help businesses and sectors adapt to climate change, finance providers and investors who will provide the capital necessary for climate change adaptations