Climate change risk highlighted in new UN report
The United Nations International Panel on Climate Change are about to release a new report on global warming and climate change. The report is not said to contain much in the way of new information but it will serve as a stark reminder to those who think the issue may have reduced or ‘gone away’. Far from it; the UN report says that human influence has played a key part in the warming of the planet and the subsequent effects including rising sea levels. It says that urgent action must be taken and that the longer the warming continues the greater the risk of “abrupt and irreversible change.” The report uses the word ‘risk’ 350 times in its 127 pages, which in a sense gives hope that some of the impacts can be avoided if action is taken. However, some scientists say that the UN report is broadly a consensus of opinion and the risk, and impact, could be far worse than they suggest.
NATO leaders take cyber threat seriously
As some of the most powerful men and women in the world meet in Wales from today, there will be much to discuss. The NATO leaders conference will have an agenda including the terrorist activity of the Islamic State, the fragile situation in Ukraine, the Ebola outbreak in Africa and the tensions in Gaza. The leaders have dealt with many similar ‘physical’ threats over the decades but there is also the quickly-growing threat from the digital world; something that is now being taken with equal seriousness. In March NATO’s own headquarters was targeted by hackers and although classified systems were not compromised, the organization’s internal email and public websites were affected. Police in the UK say that the risk of this week’s conference being targeted by cyber-criminals is high too. Although NATO has no specific tools or weapons for dealing with cyber attacks leaders will discuss a consolidated approach to dealing with the threat, acknowledging the potentially devastating effect a large scale attack could have on our infrastructure and economy.
Financial sector under pressure over risk management
The current wave of penalties being wielded by regulators of financial institutions is a warning for the wider business community, of all sizes and in all sectors. While the financial sector has been in the firing line for practices that lead to the economic disaster of the last few years there seems to be a growing thirst from regulators to ensure compliance in all areas of business. This includes tax authorities clamping down on those who use illegal or unethical means to avoid paying what is due , competition regulators here and abroad acting faster than before and data protection and privacy laws being applied more effectively. While multi-billion dollar fines for banks grab headlines, all businesses need to be increasingly aware of regulatory and compliance risk and be sure to have the necessary insurance cover to mitigate breaches.
Tailgate theft rises
Against the backdrop of some of the world’s huge risks there are more localised threats that may be more pressing for small businesses. The US National Insurance Crime Bureau says that there is an increase in the theft of tailgates from pick-up trucks. Texas leads the way in thefts, followed by California and Arizona. The reason they are being stolen? The high costs of replacing them has lead to the creation of a black market to supply cheaper options for those willing to turn a blind eye to their origin.
