Pharma company is ready for potential increase in profits due to climate change-induced spread of infectious diseases

Most companies are preparing for increased costs as the planet warms, but some are ready to reap the profits that could come along with climate change, The New York Times reports.

In 2018, more than 7,000 companies submitted reports on the risks and opportunities climate change could create for their business to CDP, which used to be known as the Carbon Disclosure Project. Many firms know they could soon take a big financial hit unless they take proactive steps. For example, Hitachi Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer, said that increased rainfall and flooding in Southeast Asia could knock out some of their suppliers. Alphabet, Inc., Google's parent company, understands that rising temperatures could increase cooling costs in their "energy-hungry" data centers.

But Eli Lilly, a drug maker in the United States, pointed to research that shows how rising temperatures across the globe could drive the spread of infectious diseases, the Times reports. That would actually help the company financially.

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The sentiment echoes the words of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who recently said that melting ice in the arctic could help open new trade routes. Read more about how companies are preparing for climate change at The New York Times.