Ford Motor Company (F), General Electric Company (GE) & Weyerhaeuser Company (WY): One Risk Most Companies Acknowledge but Few Manage

Getting it right
C2ES outlines how Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY) , one of the world’s largest forest products companies, is setting a strong example in responding to this pressing challenge. Changes in climate influence the structure and function of forests, and projections show that effects going forward will be more severe and damaging than in the past. Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY)’s risk analysis relies on close monitoring of its timberlands using geographic- and species-specific forecasting models and sensing technologies. The company has regional research partnerships to study and protect its vulnerable water resources, and is developing tree varieties that can withstand drier summers.

Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY) has also found opportunity in all of this. Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY) Solutions, launched in 2011, helps others with large-scale land holdings to manage landscapes for optimal water supply and quality, reduce carbon footprints, and source bio-energy feedstocks, among other things.

The takeaway
The important message here is that it’s not all doom and gloom. Through the dark veil of climate change, companies are emerging as management leaders and dynamic solution providers. Certainly the risk is grave, but so is the opportunity. Long-term investors would do well to include climate change as a factor in their stock analyses. Look for strong and candid discussion of the topic in 10-K risk sections, as well as initiatives to capture emerging opportunities. Because at this point, choosing to ignore climate change is a losing proposition in the long run.

The article 1 Risk Most Companies Acknowledge but Few Manage originally appeared on Fool.com.

Sara Murphy has no position in any stocks mentioned. Follow her on Twitter @SMurphSmiles. The Motley Fool recommends Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F). The Motley Fool owns shares of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) and General Electric Company (NYSE:GE).

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.