WTW and Cornell University: A New Alliance to Combat Drought

In an effort to tackle the growing threat of drought and water scarcity, WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking, and solutions company, has announced a strategic scientific partnership with Cornell University. This collaboration aims to quantify the risks of severe and sustained drought worldwide, providing an in-depth view of global exposure to drought risks and the potential effects of water shortages on business operations (WTW, 2025).

The partnership will focus on identifying geographical 'hotspots' for climate-amplified drought, producing more accurate estimates of drought risk, and creating new tools and datasets to anticipate single and multi-year droughts. At Cornell, the research is supported by the Atkinson Center for Sustainability and led by Prof. Toby Ault, a leading global expert in future drought under climate change (WTW, 2025).

Scott St. George, Head of Weather & Climate Research for the WTW Research Network, emphasized the importance of this collaboration: "Water is essential to all industries, so no one can afford to have drought take them by surprise. We know climate change has already supercharged droughts in some places – witness the ongoing drought in the American Southwest, now in its third decade. Prof. Ault and his team at Cornell will provide us with a clear view of the real risk of drought and water scarcity. Those insights are absolutely critical for our clients’ operations and planning in water-dependent sectors such as food and beverage, energy producer

The global drought community and policy representatives gathered at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s 16th Conference of the Parties (UNCCD COP16) in Riyadh in December 2024 to discuss the urgent need for improvements in assessing and quantifying drought risks, in developing and implementing transformative solutions, and in boosting policy actions and investments. Only through unprecedented global cooperation can we facilitate pathways towards drought-resilient futures (Stefanski et al., 2025).

The collaboration between WTW and Cornell University marks a significant advancement in climate risk assessment capabilities, with substantial implications for WTW's market position in the growing climate risk advisory sector. By combining Cornell's advanced climate science capabilities with WTW's industry expertise, the company is building proprietary risk assessment tools that could create significant barriers to entry for competitors. This is particularly valuable as regulatory requirements for climate risk disclosure continue to expand globally (WTW, 2025).

The focus on developing regions and water-stressed areas is strategically important, as these markets represent significant growth opportunities in risk advisory services. The ability to better quantify drought risks in these regions could help WTW expand its market share in emerging economies where traditional risk assessment models have been less reliable (WTW, 2025).

In conclusion, the partnership between WTW and Cornell University is a critical step towards enhancing the accuracy and reliability of drought prediction models. By addressing the limitations of current climate models and developing new tools and datasets, this collaboration will enable businesses to better prepare for water scarcity risks and create new opportunities for WTW in the growing climate risk advisory sector.

References:
WTW (2025). WTW and Cornell University Partner to Quantify Global Drought Risks. Retrieved from
Stefanski, R., Toreti, A., Aich, V. et al. Drought resilience demands urgent global actions and cooperation. Nat Water 3, 127–130 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-024-00373-9