Can Banks and Bankers Save The World? Green Finance and the Transition to a Low-Carbon World

The transition to a low-carbon world is the global challenge for this and future generations.  The UN estimates some $93trn of investment is required to keep global warming below 2 degrees by mid-century, and to adapt our planet to deal with the consequences of climate change.  80% of the capital required will have to come from the private sector.  Climate risks – and the risks of stranded assets on a large-scale are now seen by central banks and regulators as key threats to financial stability.   The financial system we need is one that fully supports and facilitates the transition toward a green economy, requiring the combined and sustained efforts of global bodies such as the UN, national governments and the banking and financial services sector.

What many may still see as a specialist green finance sector is very quickly becoming part of the mainstream of banking and finance, with sustainability, stewardship and other green finance values increasingly embedded in everyday, ordinary banking and investment practice.  The UK leads the way in embedding green finance and is establishing itself as the global hub for this fast-growing sector.  Professional bodies such as the Chartered Banker Institute and CISI are training current and future generations of financial services professionals to direct the investments required.  Will banks and bankers save the world?  Join us on the 28^th February to find out!

Panel members include:

• Sir Roger Gifford (Chair, UK Green Finance Taskforce and CEO, SEB Bank);
• Caroline Barr (Senior Associate - CMS Cameron McKenna)
• Angela Falconer (Associate Director, Climate Policy Initiative)
• Thom Kenrick (Head of Sustainability, RBS)
• Dr Craig Mackenzie (Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Enterprise, University of Edinburgh Business School)

This event is being jointly hosted with the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment and the University of Edinburgh Business School.