Opening Remarks: Unlocking Finance to Achieve Paris Agreement Goals

Razan Al Mubarak, President, IUCN (2021–2025) UN Climate Change High-Level Champion

Navigating to Net-Zero: Can Capital Markets Decarbonize if the World Isn’t Decarbonizing? 

Owners and managers of assets, banks, insurers and other capital markets participants are committing to reduce the emissions of their investments, loan books and underwriting amid the urgency to support the low-carbon transition. But global carbon emissions have never been higher, and the pathways for preventing the worst impacts of a warming planet are narrowing. 

• How can investors and financial institutions make progress toward their targets if carbon emissions do not come down in the global economy?  
• How are inflation, trade tensions and other challenges in the macroeconomy influencing institutional climate strategies? 
• Can financing of low-carbon solutions and policy advocacy produce real-world impact? 
• What collaborations among policymakers, industry and investors will drive the most progress toward a net-zero target?

We will hear from industry leaders at the forefront of climate finance on how they are pursuing strategies for lowering emissions in the global economy.

Roy Choudhury, Managing Director & Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Laura Segafredo, Global Head of Sustainable Research, ETF and Index Investments, BlackRock
Karen Fang, Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Finance, Bank of America
Moderator: Linda-Eling Lee, Global Head of ESG and Climate Research, MSCI

Toward Sustainable Growth: Where Are We in the Energy Transition?

The electricity grid is getting greener, with renewables expected to cover most growth in global electricity demand. But fossil fuels still power the lion’s share of the world’s energy, and the amount of carbon that countries put into the atmosphere continues to go hand in hand with economic growth. If the shift to a clean-energy economy lags, the low-carbon transition will lag too.

• Where are we in the energy transition?
• When can we expect to see clean energy at scale?
• What transition technologies could make a difference this decade? 
• What are the biggest obstacles to scaling renewable energy infrastructure?
• What are the wild cards for investors to watch?

We will discuss the prospects for decarbonizing the energy sector with four experts who have their eyes on the data.

Laura Cozzi, Chief Energy Modeller, International Energy Agency
Spencer Dale, Chief Economist, bp
Vijnan Batchu, Managing Director, Center For Carbon Transition, JP Morgan
Monica Oviedo Céspedes, Head of Sustainability Management, Iberdrola Group
Moderator: Chris Cote, Vice President, MSCI Research

Companies and financial institutions must back up their climate commitments with credible actions, a United Nations’ high-level expert group said at COP27 in a report that commanded the attention of the financial industry with its aim “to prevent dishonest climate accounting.”
 
Among the report's recommendations are that net-zero pledges should contain interim targets and account for companies’ complete emissions footprint, as well as include specific targets aimed at ending support for fossil fuels; that companies should cut their own emissions rather than rely on credits; and that investors and companies alike should disclose their affiliations with trade associations. 

Catherine McKenna, the former Canadian minister of the environment and climate change who chaired the group, will join Roger Urwin, Global Head of Investment Content, Willis Towers Watson, and an MSCI advisiory director, to discuss how companies and investors can bring integrity to climate action.

Blended Finance and the Climate Transition 

Yuki Yasui, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Network, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)

Climate Change Risks: What Happens in a 3°C World?

Society recognizes the need to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C to stave off the worst effects of a warming world. Yet the world is warming at nearly twice that rate.

• What might a world of 3°C warming mean for the APAC region? 
• Where are the most vulnerable people and property concentrated both geographically and across industries? 
• How might governments, financial institutions, businesses and civil society confront the growing risk?
• What infrastructure, technologies and measures will be needed for climate adaptation? 
• What policies will be needed to spur investment, what opportunities might arise, and what is the region’s best route to resilience amid the prospect of rising heat?

We will examine how companies and investors are adapting to the prospect of a warmer future with four leaders on the front lines of climate-related financial risk.

Moderator: 
Dave Sivaprasad, Southeast Asia Lead, Climate and Sustainability, BCG Consulting Group

Panelists: 
Erik Berglof, Chief Economist, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
David Fogarty, Head of ESG Consulting Services, Singapore & Southeast Asia, CBRE Singapore
Oliver Marchand, Global Head of ESG Research & Development at Climate Risk Center, MSCI
Sunita Subramoniam, APAC Head of Sustainable for the ETF and Index business, BlackRock