A stroke can change the course of a lifetime and hits in less than a minute. In geological terms, the last 100 years is equivalent to a single minute in an average human lifetime. The “stroke” that has hit our planet has heated, polluted and destabilized Earth systems on which our economies and societies depend. Earth’s coldest climates are transforming rapidly due to atmospheric heating, with global implications. Polar, glacial and ocean destabilization are cascading risk in the form of climate hazards from extreme weather to deadly heatwaves, droughts and floods. As with any stroke patient, our planet requires emergency care delivered with evidence-based accuracy. The urgency and quality of our response today will determine the immediate and long- term outlooks for economic, social and planetary stability. It may well determine human survivability too. Short-term global temperatures have breached the 1.5°C warming limit for the first time, a critical threshold outlined both in the Paris Agreement and by Earth system scientists. This is a physical boundary beyond which we exit a safe operating space, not a political target to be negotiated. Despite ardent efforts from companies such as those in the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, who recently reported a 10% reduction in aggregate absolute emissions1 from 2019 to 2022, global emissions trajectories are not slowing down. In December 2024, the Alliance published The Cost of Inaction: A CEO Guide to Navigating Climate Risk highlighting that businesses tend to underestimate the financial impact of inaction in the face of physical and transition risk and showcasing the imperative for action from CEOs. Indeed, corporates will increasingly grapple with significant balance sheet costs and supply chain disruptions that inhibit their ability to function as they have in the past. Corporate leaders will simultaneously need to deliver on rapid decarbonization together with bold civic, political and economic collaboration to support societal and economic resilience and adaptation on a global scale. Companies are in a unique position to lead the transition to net zero alongside the development of more robust and resilient economies. Investors, consumers and the communities they serve will ultimately reward them for it. An effective response to the nature and climate crisis is in the best interests of far-sighted corporates and the societies in which they operate. Enabled by sound government policy, corporate resilience benefits from close collaboration with experts, local innovators, communities, youth and Indigenous Peoples. These individuals and groups are at the Foreword Gill Einhorn Head, Innovation and Transformation, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum Johan Rockström Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Professor in Earth System Science, University of PotsdamGim Huay Neo Managing Director and Head, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum Toby Siddall Managing Director, Sustainability Strategy Lead, Accenture Business on the Edge: Building Industry Resilience to Climate Hazards December 2024 Business on the Edge: Building Industry Resilience to Climate Hazards 3

Business on the Edge 2024