In the run-up to Cop27, the UN climate change conference, this week’s Not The Daily News radio interview by 10X Investments will feature a conversation about sustainable finance between Michael Avery and Silvia Pavoni, a leading independent expert on the topic.
“Yes, sustainable finance is something of a buzzword that has crept into our lexicon of late,” says Michael Avery, “but if you look at the extent of the estimated financial needs to respond to climate change, you can see why.”
Noting that “the cost of transforming the world’s energy systems is estimated to be somewhere around $1.6-3.8 trillion annually between 2016 and 2050”, Michael sees attention at Cop27, being held from November 6-18 in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, focused on financing the transition.
Silvia Pavoni, the founding editor at Sustainable Views, a newsletter by the Financial Times that brings readers the voices and the data that are driving the ESG debate, has witnessed the rise of sustainable finance as a topic from the backwaters of the global financial conversation to its current, very central position.
Other positions she holds include associate editor of The Banker and advisory board member of the European Risk Management Council as well as the Women of the Future programme.
Questions Michael hopes to ask her include:
⦁ What incentivises financial organisations and businesses to implement sustainable finance principles?
⦁ ESG disclosures are broadly seen as a great way to hold organisations accountable as responsible entities. Why is it important to do this?
⦁ Are there any drawbacks when it comes to ESG disclosures? If so, what are they?
⦁ Could you unpack what blended finance is, and how it benefits developing countries like South Africa?
⦁ How do you think Cop27 will address sustainable finance, particularly in terms of getting organisations to make more environmentally responsible financial decisions?
⦁ Your thoughts about how the implementation of sustainable financial practices will evolve in the coming years?
