About Us

We’re here to take the mystery out of climate change and make resilience an achievable goal.
WE focus on long-term resilience

We are living in a world of increasing uncertainty. For the past 10,000 years, humans have lived during a time of relative climatic stability. Civilizations - including our own - developed in the midst of this stability. We now know that the climate is beginning to shift and that past events are no longer reliable analogues for the future. This requires us to think differently. It requires us to rethink our relationship with nature and how that impacts our economies, communities, our quality of life, and the underpinning built and natural environments which support all of those.

At Climate Advisory, we have more than 20 years experience working with clients to solve for these types of needs. That experience allows us to home in on key risks, identify areas of highest opportunity, and bring industry-leading solutions without necessarily having to undertake exhaustive studies. We are committed to making a real change in the world and are always excited to work with like-minded, creative individuals who are looking to do the same.

Our brand values matter.

ACCESSIBILITY

We make climate change concepts understandable and relevant.

PARTNERSHIP

We work with our partners to develop and produce change.

INNOVATION

We’re here to approach climate change solutions in strategic and innovative ways.

INTEGRITY

We’re here to build trust and relationships while abiding by our values.

SUSTAINABILITY

We strive to live within our means and invite others to do the same.

Climate Advisory - Lisa Churchill
MEET OUR founder

Climate Advisory was founded by Lisa Churchill, an expert in climate change with over 20 years experience in the design field and a life-long passion for the natural world. Her training as a paleontologist, with a focus on mass extinctions, has given her a unique perspective on resilience.

For more than 20 years, Lisa has worked exclusively in the engineering and design field, developing a deep expertise in climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure and climate finance. Through that work, it became apparent that transformational change will only come about through large-scale investment in resilience. A large part of that effort will involve building a robust pipeline of infrastructure projects that are capable of generating revenue while also satisfying public sector and investor needs.

Lisa’s unique background in science, the design field and economic and financial valuations related to climate risk, have allowed her to work fluidly in this space and advance many of these initiatives. Recognizing the urgency for meaningful change, Lisa made the decision to launch her own consultancy to work proactively on this particular issue, as well as to broaden her impact with other types of clients and partners who are looking for creative solutions in this space. She is committed to taking the mystery out of climate change in order to make resilience an achievable goal – regardless of where the starting point may be.

Climate Advisory clients are introduced to a wealth of experts across design, policy, insurance, underwriting, funding and financing thanks to Lisa’s external network in the industry.

Click here to view Lisa’s resume.​

Lisa is an Advisory Board Member of the Stone Living Lab and a member of the United Nations Capital Development Fund Working Group on Climate Insurance Linked Resilient Infrastructure Finance. She has previously served as a technical advisor on several NSF-funded research projects, and as a faculty member at the MIT Sloan School of Management for an executive level course on Urban Resilience.

We don't take the term "expert" lightly.

Not only is climate change changing, so is the state of our knowledge and practice. We are committed to maintaining our expertise in this area and anticipating trends and market drivers. Check out our latest publications, speaking engagements and online connections to previous work.
  • Gary, P. and Churchill, L. co-editors (2020) Climate Change and the Built Environment, to be published by ACEC (Spring 2021)
  • Churchill, L., Karidis, G. and Werner, J. (2020). Defining Resilience for Labs, Special Report to be published by I2SL (Winter 2020)
  • Churchill, L. – co-author; 2020. Climate Risk and Real Estate – emerging practices for Market Assessment, Urban Land Institute, Washington, DC. ISBN: 978-0-87420-462-9 http://bit.ly/ULIClimateRisk
  • Dickson, L. – contributor; 2020. Increasing infrastructure resilience with Nature-based Solutions (NbS): 12-StepTechnical Guidance for Project Developers; InterAmerican Development Bank, Washington DC; https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Increasing-Infrastructure-Resilience-with-Nature-Based-Solutions-NbS.pdf
  • Dickson, L., 2019 The 10,000-Year Hall Pass https://newcities.org/the-big-picture-the-10000-year-hall-pass/
  • Dickson, L. 2018. How Buildings and Infrastructure are Changing in Response to Climate Change (https://www.engineering.com/BIM/ArticleID/17327/How-Are-Buildings-and-Infrastructure-Changing-in-Response-to-Climate-Change.aspx
  • Dickson, L. 2018. Making the Case for Resilient Infrastructure. New Cities (July 5, 2018) https://newcities.org/the-big-picture-making-the-case-for-investment-in-resilient-infrastructure/ also published on the Resilience Shift (July 17, 2018) http://resilienceshift.org/investment-case/
  • Dickson, L. 2018. The value of resilience. Clyde & Co forum on Resilience, London (April 2018). https://www.clydeco.com/uploads/Files/Articles/2018/Resilience_Campaign/Lisa_Dickson.pdf https://vimeo.com/276004704
  • Dickson, L. 2016 Five Lessons in Resilience (interview with Jeff Byles). Doggerel, December 15, 2016. https://www.planetizen.com/node/90269/five-lessons-resilience
  • Gary, P. and Churchill, L. co-editors (2020) Climate Change and the Built Environment, to be published by ACEC (Spring 2021)
  • Churchill, L. – co-author (2020). Climate Risk and Real Estate – emerging practices for Market Assessment, Urban Land Institute, Washington, DC. ISBN: 978-0-87420-462-9 (October 2020)
  • Churchill, L., Karidis, G. and Werner, J. (2020). Defining Resilience for Labs, Special Report to be published by I2SL (Fall 2020)
  • Dickson, L. – contributor (2020); Increasing infrastructure resilience with Nature-based Solutions (NbS): 12-Step Technical Guidance for Project Developers; InterAmerican Development Bank, Washington DC; https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Increasing-Infrastructure-Resilience-with-Nature-Based-Solutions-NbS.pdf
  • Dickson, L., 2019 The 10,000-Year Hall Pass https://newcities.org/the-big-picture-the-10000-year-hall-pass/
  • Dickson, L. 2018. How Buildings and Infrastructure are Changing in Response to Climate Change (https://www.engineering.com/BIM/ArticleID/17327/How-Are-Buildings-and-Infrastructure-Changing-in-Response-to-Climate-Change.aspx
  • Dickson, L. 2018. Making the Case for Resilient Infrastructure. New Cities (July 5, 2018) https://newcities.org/the-big-picture-making-the-case-for-investment-in-resilient-infrastructure/ also published on the Resilience Shift (July 17, 2018) http://resilienceshift.org/investment-case/
  • Dickson, L. 2018. The value of resilience. Clyde & Co forum on Resilience, London (April 2018). https://www.clydeco.com/uploads/Files/Articles/2018/Resilience_Campaign/Lisa_Dickson.pdf https://vimeo.com/276004704
  • Dickson, L. 2016 Five Lessons in Resilience (interview with Jeff Byles). Doggerel, December 15,2016 https://www.planetizen.com/node/90269/five-lessons-resilience
  • Dickson, L. 2015. Logan International Heeds Warnings and Prepares for Potential Flooding; Airport Improvement; July/August 2015.
  • Dickson, L. and Ghosh, I., 2015. Driving through the pouring rain: How to plan, prepare and adapt America’s transportation networks for climate change. Informed Infrastructure, January – February 2015.
  • Gardner, D.E. and Churchill-Dickson, L. (eds) 2015. Historic Bridges of Maine: 350 Years of Bridge and Roadway Design; Maine Department of Transportation; 145 pages. Beauvais, N., Ghosh, I and Dickson, L. 2015. Translating the science of climate change into built solutions. Michigan Journal of Sustainability, Field Notes, in press.
  • Dickson, L. and Ghosh, I. 2014. Assessing the “Threat Multiplier”, Society of American Military Engineer, Year in Review. http://themilitaryengineer.com/tme_online/2014_Nov_Dec/TME-YearInReview-2014-SM.pdf
  • Ghosh, I. and Dickson, L. 2014. Designing for climate change with GIS. ArcUser Fall 2014. http://www.esri.com/esri-news/arcuser/fall-2014/designing-for-climate-change-with-gis
  • Dickson, L. 2013. “When Storm Clouds Gather,” Storage Terminal Magazine, Autumn/Fall 2013.
  • Dickson, L. 2013. “Engineering a Response to Climate Change,” BSCES Newsletter, October 2013. ASCE-APWA-ACEC Sustainable Infrastructure Project Rating System; 2011. (Dickson, L. – contributor) World Resource Council 2010. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol for the U.S. Public Sector (Dickson, L. – contributor)
  • Churchill-Dickson, L. 2007. Maine’s Fossil Record: The Paleozoic; Maine Geological Survey, Augusta; 500 p. ISBN: 0979812607
  • “Resilience of Labs post-COVID,” I2SL Plenary Session, online (October 2020) https://www.i2sl.org/conference/2020/plenary.html
  • “Sustainable Infrastructure and Impact Finance,” Proximo, online (April 2020) https://www.proximoinfra.com/virtual/get/145
  • “Partnering on a National Approach to Resilient Infrastructure,” CATIQ Vision 2020, Toronto (February 2020)
  • “Climate Considerations for the Real Estate Market,’ DePaul University’s Real Estate Center and the Chaddick Institute, Chicago, IL (December 2020)
  • “Impact of Climate Change on Commercial Real Estate,” CCIM Institute webinar (November 2019)
  • “Resilience Considerations for Science and Industry,” I2SL Annual Conference, Denver, CO; (with H. Williams, October 2019)
  • “Climate Change in Maine: an economic opportunity?” Maine ACEC, President’s Invitational (October 2019)
  • “Understanding and Addressing Climatic Variabilities at 32 Facilities: Lessons from Partners Healthcare,” Clean Med, Nashville, TN; (with J. Messervy & K.Kemmen) May 2019
  • “Future-proofing Real Estate Investment: How Industry Leaders are Factoring in Climate Risk,” ULI Webinar, February 2019
  • “The Intersect of Capital Markets, Real Estate and Sustainability,” ULI Fall Meeting, Boston, MA October 2018
  • “Climate Change and Resilient Design: Risk Management Considerations for Engineers,” ACEC National Conference, Las Vegas October 30, 2018
  • “Financing Resilient Infrastructure,” Infrastructure Summit, Governing, Denver, CO; June 20, 2018
  • “Future Directions in US Municipal Infrastructure Finance – A governmental perspective,” NewCities and Lincoln Institute Cambridge, MA June 5, 2018
  • “Resilience – addressing the protection event: a US Perspective,” Clyde & Co Resilience Summit, in collaboration with Willis Towers Watson, London; April 24, 2018
  • “Financing for Climate Resilience,” UMass EBC Climate Forum Speaking Series, April 13, 2018, Boston.
  • “Innovating with Clients: Helping Clients Manage their Climate Risk” InterAmerican Development Bank ;Washington DC, February 13, 2018.
  • “Financing Resilient Infrastructure,” Economic Resilience Roadshow, hosted by the British Embassy, Houston, TX and San Francisco, January and February 2018
  • “Climate Change: What do owners want from their Design Professionals?” Donovan Hatem Roundtable, Boston. January 25, 2018
  • “Financing Resilient Infrastructure.” Congressional Briefing, Washington DC, October 12, 2017.
  • “Resilient Transportation,” Architecture Boston Expo (ABX), November 2017
  • “Extreme Design: Thriving in the new normal” ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX), October 2016
  • “Changing Climate, Changing Business,” Panelist, British American Business, April 25, 2016; Thomas Reuters, NYC.
  • “Climate Risk and Investment,” invited speaker, World Bank, Washington D.C., March 9, 2016.
  • “Extreme Design: Thriving in the New Normal”, Presenter, ABX 2016 Annual Convention; November 16, 2016; Boston, MA.
  • “Enhancing Resilience of Coastal Infrastructure”, Panelist, Maritime Risk Symposium, November 14, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC.
  • “Lessons from the Front Lines: Cities, Climate Thresholds and Actions,” Panelist; National Adaptation Forum; May 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO.
  • “Heat Waves and Extreme Events: A conversation with Dr. Katharine Hayhoe about climate change in D.C.” Invited Panelist; National Geographic Society, March 11, 2015; Washington D.C.
  • “Plenary Session: Climate Impacts on the Business of Aviation,” Invited Panelist; Airport Consultants Council and American Association of Airport Executives: Airport Planning, Design and Construction Symposium; February 18-19, 2015; Denver, CO.
  • “Risk and Resiliency–the New Normal”, Lead Convener and Presenter; ACEC 2014 Annual Convention; April 28, 2014; Washington, DC.
  • “Benefits Realized in Implementing Sustainability Policies and Programs”, Sustainability Performance Metrics, Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting; 2013; Washington, DC.
  • “Climate Change: Assess, Design, Act,” AFSE/Geoprofessional Business Association, Fall Conference, October 2013; Boston, MA.
  • “Climate Change: Risk Assessment and Resiliency in Urban Settings,” American Water Resources Association; September 26, 2013; Trenton, NJ.
  • “Modeling for Resiliency/Dealing with Climate Change,” SAME JETS; July 2013; Denver CO.
  • “Cambridge’s Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment: Linking Theory and Practice”; National Adaptation Forum; April 2-4, 2013; Denver, CO.
  • “East Meets West: the Impact of China’s Footprint on the U.S.,” AWRA’s Managing Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources: Adaptation Issues, Options and Strategies; April 18-20, 2011; Baltimore, MD.
  • “Offering Suggestions for China’s Twelfth-Five year Environmental Protection Plan – Adapting to the Environment and Economy in a Low-Carbon Society,” Invited Participant; The Fourth Expanded Meeting of the Sixth Council of Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences; May 4, 2010; Shanghai, China.
  • “The interplay between Environmental Markets and Transportation Investments,” Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences: May 5-7, 2010; Shanghai, China.

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