Climate Action Sustainable Investment Forum Europe 2021 Part 4

Growth in Europe can be driven by Europe – Europe continues to be at the forefront of global sustainable finance. Climate Action, in partnership with UNEP FI are delighted to announce the 2021 Sustainable Investment Forum Europe will remain virtual whilst we navigate these challenging times, following the success of the September online event and extending our reach to a wider global audience.

Europe, in particular the EU can pave the way to a sustainable recovery beyond COVID-19. Europe’s regulatory and societal climates have encouraged and accelerated coherent sustainable investment growth strategies for the EU. They continue to represent a unique opportunity for governments to reshape a sustainable future world, and for private and institutional investors to access attractive responsible ESG investment propositions to support ESG and global sustainable finance.

Due to the volatile nature of the COVID-19 crisis, there is an urgent need to identify and model risks that companies did not consider prior to the pandemic, to encourage private and institutional investors to invest in more purposeful projects using enhanced de-risking mechanisms offered by increased EU-backed guarantees. With a mandate for embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in their investment strategies many are expecting the Biden administration will trigger growth in demand in ESG investing as it is anticipated that Biden will accelerate the transition to a low-carbon US economy –what are the e implications for Europe and will this see a decisive move towards a common approach to cross border carbon taxes in Europe and North America?

Key themes:

• EU long term strategy for 2050- update on the EU Action Plan
• Greening an inclusive recovery post pandemic
• How can AI help with ESG investing?
• Meeting UN SDGs: Constructive dialogue is crucial to ensure broad support for the global implementation of a green recovery
• Managing climate related risks and opportunities- resilience and forward scenario planning
• The evolution of ESG performance- How can investors capture value in ESG?
• Women in sustainable finance – how to make it in the green economy/ The sustainable finance journey- are women leading the way?
• Impact investing- here to stay? Can combining with ESG strategies have greater impact?
• Investor expectations and the importance of corporate engagement- how can investors make a real impact?
• Can the EU’s taxonomy wipe out greenwashing?
• Update on SFDR regulation scheduled for March 2021
• Will a Biden Presidency augment the sustainable investment landscape in Europe and beyond? What is the likelihood of cross border carbon taxes?

Featured speakers:

• Chris Faint Head of Department, Climate & Small Mutuals Division, Bank of England
• Eva Halvarsson, CEO, Andra AP-fonden (AP2)
• Geraldine Ang, Senior Policy Analyst, Green Finance & Investment, OECD
• Heike Reichelt, Head of investor relations and sustainable finance, World Bank
• Joël Prohin, Head of Investment Management Department, Asset Management Division, Caisse des dépôts
• Magnus Billing, CEO, Alecta
• Olivier Guersent, Director General, European Commission
• Olivier Rousseau, Executive Director, Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites (FRR)
• Sonja Gibbs, Managing Director Sustainable Finance, Institute of International Finance
• Sylvie Préa, Group Director of Corporate & Social Responsibility, Société Générale
• Torben Möger Pedersen, CEO, Pension Danmark
• Marja Nykänen, Deputy Governor, Bank of Finland
• Eric Usher, Head, UNEP-FI