When the Music Stops - Alexander Pui and Preparing For The Worst

Alexander Pui returns to the show today to chat all things climate science, climate risks and climate impacts. Alex is an old colleague who’s made an indelible mark on my career and it’s a pleasure to have him back while he’s in town escaping Tokyo’s suffering heat. Alex has worked across academia, reinsurance, insurance, banking, consulting and technology, is an adjunct fellow at the university of New South Wales’ climate change research centre, a visiting scholar at Kyushu university and completed his phd in applied statistics and flood risk assessment. There are few I’ve met who are as knowledgable about the intersecting worlds of complex climate science, the attitudes and actions of businesses and the gaps between what needs to be done and what is being done.I wanted to get Alex back on the show to get into some of the detail about what has been happening in the world of climate science over the last 12 months. Unprecedented event after unprecedented event have been occurring globally, but beyond the factoids of headlines and social media skimming, I wanted to explore and better understand the state of the science and what that means for all of us.In this episode we do just that, chatting about his work in seeking to understand the huge leap in global atmospheric temperatures since June 2023, the intersection of economic transition and the physical realities of a new climate, the attitudes of barely committed corporates stepping back from not-nearly enough commitments and the idea and role of micro adaptations to withstand the worst effects when the music stops.Anytime I get into the weeds of the science of climate change I am in both awe and terror. I came away from speaking with Alex both of those, his expertise and clarity are a rare combination. I hope you take something from this.Til next time, thanks for listening.Events are live and more are coming - follow on Humanitix.Support the Finding Nature Go HalfCut 2025 campaign and come along on 30th July in Sydney. Follow on LinkedIn, Substack and Instagram. Today's show is delivered with Altiorem. Use code FindingNature25 to get  25% off an annual subscription. Send me a messageThanks for listening. Follow Finding Nature on Instagram