Climate Change 2020

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change

Moderator
Antony Froggatt, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House

Questions and discussion

This opening session will explore the political realities surrounding international climate action, and the ways that governments can continue to address the climate emergency during other crises.  

• Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, COP26 has been postponed until 2021, but what is the capacity of governments to continue climate action while responding to a global health crisis?

• Governments have taken steps such as banning reusable plastic bags to curb the spread of the coronavirus and preparing stimulus packages to minimize economic disruption. Is there a route that simultaneously combats the virus and maintains awareness of the climate emergency?

• How might the delay to COP26 to 2021 change international political dynamics? What new opportunities have arisen because of the delay?

• What is the role of the world’s biggest economic and political players in international climate action? How important are non-state actors and sub-national governments in the process? 

• What is the best way to encourage public – particularly youth – engagement with these discussions? 

• What are the most significant challenges to more ambitious climate action and how might these be overcome?  

Chair
Antony Froggatt, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House

Speakers
Todd Stern, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; United States Special Envoy for Climate Change (2009–16)
Elina Bardram, Head of Unit, International Relations, DG-Climate Action, European Commission
Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, European Environment Agency 
Thelma Krug, Vice Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Questions and discussion

This session will focus on the role of financial institutions in promoting green finance, examining how climate considerations can be incorporated into investments, regulation and oversight.  

• How can industries such as banking, insurance, investment and asset management incorporate sustainability and resilience to climate risk into governing frameworks? How can policy-makers help practitioners achieve this? 

• Are investors increasing pressure to include climate risk in decisions? Is there a need for regulation to further incentivize low-carbon, climate-resilient investments? 

• How should climate risk be incorporated in financial decisions in emerging economies? Has COVID-19 raised the profile of the need to build resilient economies? 

• How significant will the destabilizing impact be if financial markets and institutions are not prepared for long-term climate change risks? 

• What strategies are needed to ensure social inclusion in the transition to a low-carbon economy? 

Chair
Mark Campanale, Founder & Executive Chairman, Carbon Tracker

Speakers
Signe Krogstrup, Assistant Governor; Head of Economics and Monetary Policy, Danish National Bank
Rose Mwebaza, Director, UNFCCC, Climate Technology Centre & Network
Anouj Mehta, Unit Head, Green and Innovative Finance and the ACGF, Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Paul Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, CDP

Questions and discussion

Understanding the likely and possible impacts of climate change is vital for businesses and policy-makers when considering both mitigation and adaptation strategies. This session will discuss the practicalities of incorporating climate risk into forward planning, focusing on the best strategies for the most vulnerable regions and sectors.   

• What impact should an increasing understanding of climate risk cascades have on policy-makers’ prioritisation of mitigation and adaption strategies? What does COVID-19 tell us about cascading risks throughout the world? 

• Which sectors are particularly vulnerable to climate change and where and how should we prioritize increasing resilience?  

• How can cities and infrastructure incorporate climate change risk into development plans? How is this best done in vulnerable regions, or in regions with developing economies? 

• What is the business case for incorporating adaptation or resilience to climate risk in planning, and how should this be balanced with investments in mitigation? What are the major challenges? 

Chair
Tim Benton, Research Director, Emerging Risks; Director, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House

Speakers
Emily Shuckburgh, Director, Cambridge Zero, University of Cambridge 
Lord Deben, Chairman, UK Committee on Climate Change 
Magnus Benzie, Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute 

Questions and discussion

Jonathan Woetzel, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company and Director, McKinsey Global Institute

Moderator
Bernice Lee, Executive Director, Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy, Chatham House

Questions and discussion

This session will examine how businesses are responding to disruptive change and exploring innovative solutions and assess the potential future risks and opportunities.  

• How do objectives on decarbonization and other climate goals impact multinational businesses?  

• What is the potential of new technology to reach these objectives? Which technologies are being developed in different sectors?

• What does successful decarbonization look like? Is this replicable across sectors and organizations? What is the role of the circular economy in decarbonization of global value chains?

• How will changing views of society on climate change affect the way in which businesses operate? How significant is the risk that energy businesses will be left behind?

• In COVID-19 deconstructed economies, will business want to go back to “business as usual” or will they take the opportunity to green?

• What is the role of policy in encouraging and incentivizing low-carbon solutions and clean technology? Can regulation help foster innovation?

Chair
Bernice Lee, Executive Director, Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy, Chatham House

Speakers
Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute
Jonathan Woetzel, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company and Director, McKinsey Global Institute
Donald Kanak, Chairman, Eastspring Investments
Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director, SEI

Questions and discussion

Climate change will create resource scarcity, large-scale migration, and increased severity and frequency of extreme weather. This could lead to intensified intra- and inter-state competition over diminishing resources and land, while increasing pressure on national borders. Climatic stress, if not managed, will spark tensions and various forms of conflict. Where are the threats that climate change poses to international security most acute? What can non-state actors do to mitigate these threats? 

Chair
Neil Morisetti, Vice Dean, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London; Associate Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House

Speakers
Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
Alexander Verbeek, Founder, Institute for Planetary Security
Richard Nugee, Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy Lead, Ministry of Defence

Climate change poses a substantial risk to the global economy and trading systems, through both direct threats to these systems and the knock-on disruptive effects it causes – particularly once thresholds of stability are breached. If left unchecked, climate change will dramatically alter the ways in which people live and work, the value of physical assets, the mechanisms of the insurance system, the efficiency of global supply chains and the allocation of capital. Which areas of the international economy and trading system are most vulnerable to climate change? Where is it feasible to incorporate resilience? 

Chair
Christophe Bellmann, Associate Fellow, Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy, Chatham House; Associate, Energy Programme, International Institute for Sustainable Development

Speakers
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Associate Fellow, Global Economy and Finance Programme and Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy, Chatham House
Aik Hoe Lim, Director, Trade and Environment Division, World Trade Organization 
Martin Kipping, Head of Division Climate Policy, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

The UN Global Compact (UNGC) has promoted investment in nature-based solutions as an effective way to move towards decarbonization while mitigating the consequences of the transition by creating new jobs, enhancing the resilience of livelihoods and improving living conditions. What would these look like, and where are they most needed? Are nature-based solutions the best way forward to adapt to and mitigate risks and other challenges, such as biodiversity loss?

Chair
Ana Yang, Acting Executive Director, Hoffman Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy, Chatham House

Speakers
Torsten Thiele, Founder, Global Ocean Trust; Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics 
Dorothee Herr, Manager for Oceans and Climate Change, Global Marine and Polar Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature 
Nathalie Seddon, Professor of Biodiversity; Director, Nature-Based Solutions Initiative, University of Oxford

Private Roundtable hosted by McKinsey & Company. Attendance by invitation only.

For Europe, achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 can become not only a goal, but also a feasible prospect – without compromising economic growth or prosperity. In this roundtable, we share our latest perspectives on key challenges and implications on society. With a focus on key sectors and technologies, the aim is to initiate discussion with practitioners about Europe’s road to carbon neutrality as well as the importance of action in the next ten years. A panel of core industry leaders will share their perspectives in context of our findings.

Speakers
Alastair Hamilton, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
John Sadlier, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ardagh Group
Grahaeme Henderson, Global Head of Shipping & Maritime, Shell

Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada

Moderator
Tim Benton, Research Director, Emerging Risks; Director, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House

Questions and discussion

This session will discuss the regressive nature of climate change, noting how typically the poorest communities and populations are most vulnerable to the risks created.  

• How can the areas most vulnerable to climate change prepare for its effects?  

• Are the severity and frequency of extreme weather events increasing public awareness of the impacts of climate change outside of affected areas? What impact do public opinion and individual action have on climate change policies?

• The direct impact of climate change is often local, but how will knock-on effects impact wider regions and systems, and what is the likely added effect of the coronavirus pandemic? What impact do these developments have on international politics?

• How might multinational commercial entities engage with local communities to address these direct impacts and their wider effects?

Chair
Patrick Schröder, Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House

Speakers
Gernot Laganda, Chief, Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Programme, United Nations World Food Programme 
Robert Mardini, Director-General, International Committee of the Red Cross
Vickie Hawkins, Executive Director, Médecins Sans Frontières UK
Kristi Pullen Fedinick, Senior Scientist And Director, Science And Data, Healthy People & Thriving Communities, NRDC

Questions and discussion