Dana Darwish

Senior Consultant – Climate, Carbon & ESG Advisory, WSP in the Middle East

Dana Darwish, a Climate Change, Carbon and ESG Advisory Senior Consultant at WSP in the Middle East, is reshaping the landscape of sustainability and corporate responsibility by ensuring meaningful change. Dana’s exceptional expertise in supporting a diverse set of clients in their sustainability journeys is vital in elevating corporate sustainability profiles in the region. Dana's role transcends typical consultancy and project management; she is a changemaker, influencing companies to integrate sustainability deeply into their operations and corporate ethos. As the UAE Chapter Leader for Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE), Dana champions gender balance and diversity. Her advocacy for equal representation and leadership is not just a professional stance but a personal mission and passion. Dana's work with WiRE is multifaceted, involving podcast project management and hosting, mentorship, capacity-building initiatives, and leading dialogues on inclusivity. 

For credentials/links, please see below:

1.How are organizations globally assessing and quantifying climate-related physical and transition risks?

Companies are using climate scenario analysis to understand how physical and transition risks may impact business decisions, operations, supply chains and assets.

Using geospatial assessments and platforms, companies map their exposure to physical risks, such as heat stress, sea level rise, flooding and etc. Climate analytics digital tools may be utilized to illustrate and showcase projections and high-resolution mapping.

For transition risks, companies should consider shifts in regulatory landscape and emerging trends, including carbon pricing, clean energy breakthroughs, investor and societal shifts in expectations and demand. To further understand the severity of the risks, companies will implement scenario analysis to assess sustainable pathway against the high emission pathway.

It is vital to meticulously consider the varying sectoral specific vulnerabilities and engage with a wide and diverse set of stakeholders, internal stakeholders, regulators and local communities to align adaptation planning with operational and social realities. This multi-scenario approach ensures resilience planning is proactive, risk-informed, and flexible to evolving climatic patterns and consequences.

2.How can climate risk management be embedded into governance, enterprise risk management (ERM), and long-term strategic planning?

Climate risk assessment should be integrated in a company’s decision making including, but not limited to, capital allocation, investments, asset development and design and supply chain.  

This is achieved when climate risk is embedded in defined policies and processes for clear and structured accountability. Most effective method for this is to establish climate oversight in the company’s board level risk or audit committees. Setting the right governance structure ensures that climate considerations are trickled into executive decisions and becomes a fiduciary duty.   

To translate climate risk into operational language, climate risk should be placed as one of core risk categories in the ERM. Climate risks should also be quantified in monetary terms to turn climate change into financial reality that leadership can act on.  

Ultimately, climate risk management supports implementing resilient business practices that are driven by long term value rather than short term decision making.

3. What adaptation measures are most relevant for regional risks such as heat, water scarcity, flooding, and sea-level rise?

It is time for the region to transition from reactive risk management toward proactive risk management leading to long term resilience. Effective climate adaptation requires a well-rounded approach that embeds climate resilience into planning, architecture, operations and infrastructure.

To respond to heat stress and water scarcity, adopting engineered solutions and nature based interventions is key. This includes integrating thermal comfort solutions, focusing on green spaces, conducting microclimate studies and adopting clean energy solutions. To respond to flooding and sea level rise, it is important to consider and invest in stormwater systems, drainage system for flooding and coastal protection measures such as mangrove restoration and elevated infrastructure.