In May 2009, GE convened a group of sustainability experts from businesses, NGOs and academia to discuss how GE and others can help vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change. This forum highlighted issues related to adaptation, including availability of funding, involvement of the private sector in adaptation efforts, and variability and uncertainty of local impacts, particularly in the areas of water and health. Water may be both the most critical and the most challenging adaptation issue because of its scarcity, poor policies and lack of local and global pricing mechanisms. The experts felt that GE could have opportunities to integrate identification, design and distribution to improve drinking water and sanitation solutions in communities with limited resources. Similarly, in many regions, health systems are increasingly overstressed and they suffer from the absence of a functioning market for healthcare. But the experts highlighted GE’s opportunities to support the development of public health early warning systems and supply of emergency health equipment. In both of these areas, experts felt that GE’s core business offers significant opportunities to help catalyze change and improvement by developing collaborative and integrated local solutions, and by supporting policy development and a role for business in creating these solutions.

• Read more about our ongoing stakeholder engagement with stakeholders across GE businesses and in communities where we work.