Thinking Like a Climate Scientist in a Risky World — with Sarah Kapnick

Sarah Kapnick is the Head of Global Climate Advisory at J.P. Morgan—and before that, she spent more than a decade as a climate scientist in government, including serving as Chief Scientist at NOAA.

In this episode of the Scientista Podcast, Dr. Sweta Chakraborty and Monica Medina talk with Sarah about what it means to translate climate science into real-world decision-making. Drawing on her experience across government and the private sector, Sarah explains how institutions think about climate risk, why uncertainty doesn’t stop action in financial markets, and how signals like insurance costs, infrastructure stress, and food systems are already reflecting climate impacts.

The conversation spans climate risk in everyday life, housing and insurance, agriculture and soil health, extreme weather, and how long-term risks begin to shape near-term choices. It’s a grounded look at how climate knowledge moves—or fails to move—into systems that shape our future.

A practical, clear-eyed discussion about risk, uncertainty, and why paying attention now matters.

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