COP26 – What to expect

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The COP26 is an important meeting – it marks the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement – and is said to be a coming together to ratchet up that ambition and sort out the gap between ambition and reality. This session looked at the areas of focus for the meeting and how within the short term focus of this COVID-19 crisis we can mobilise government, business and investors into action around the important issue of climate change.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Nigel%20Topping%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22High%20Level%20Climate%20Action%20Champion%20for%20United%20Nations%20climate%20talks%2C%20COP26%20(United%20Kingdom)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Nigel%20Topping%20has%20been%20appointed%20by%20the%20UK%20Government%20as%20the%20High%20Level%20Climate%20Action%20Champion%20for%20United%20Nations%20climate%20talks%2C%20COP26.%20He%20was%20previously%20the%20CEO%20of%20We%20Mean%20Business%20until%20December%202019%2C%20where%20he%20drove%20radical%20collaboration%20for%20climate%20action%20among%20NGOs%20working%20with%20the%20world’s%20most%20influential%20businesses.%20%20This%20coalition%20played%20a%20key%20role%20in%20bringing%20the%20constructive%20voice%20of%20business%20in%20support%20of%20the%20Paris%20Agreement%20and%2C%20under%20his%20leadership%20has%20continued%20to%20drive%20ambition%20and%20action%20to%20accelerate%20the%20transition%20to%20a%20zero%20carbon%20economy.%5CnPreviously%2C%20Topping%20was%20executive%20director%20of%20CDP%2C%20launching%20new%20programs%20and%20partnerships%20including%20supply%20chain%2C%20water%2C%20forests%20and%20cities.%20He%20has%2018%20years%E2%80%99%20experience%20in%20the%20private%20sector%2C%20including%20as%20a%20member%20of%20the%20management%20board%20of%20the%20world’s%20largest%20manufacturer%20%20of%20brake%20pads%2C%20TMD%20Friction.%20%5CnHe%20is%20a%20commissioner%20on%20the%20Energy%20Transitions%20Commission%20and%20has%20been%20instrumental%20in%20the%20launch%20of%20many%20collaborative%20initiatives%20such%20as%20Science%20Based%20Targets%2C%20Business%20for%20Nature%20and%20the%20Global%20Commons%20Alliance.%5CnHe%20holds%20an%20MA%20in%20Mathematics%20from%20Cambridge%20University%2C%20Cambridge%2C%20UK%20and%20an%20MSc%20in%20Holistic%20Science%20from%20Schumacher%20College%2C%20Devon%2C%20UK%5Cn%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233562%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fnigel-topping-14633b6%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Duk%22%7D%5D” title=”Speaker” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Amanda%20White%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Director%2C%20institutional%20content%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22White%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20across%20all%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%20institutional%20media%20and%20events.%20She%20is%20responsible%20for%20directing%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium%20which%20challenges%20global%20investors%20on%20investment%20best%20practice%20and%20aims%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%20retirement%20incomes.%20She%20is%20the%20editor%20of%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com%2C%20the%20online%20news%20and%20analysis%20site%20for%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20institutional%20investors.%20White%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20journalist%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years%20and%20has%20edited%20industry%20journals%20including%20Investment%20%26%20Technology%2C%20Investor%20Weekly%20and%20MasterFunds%20Quarterly.%20She%20was%20previously%20editorial%20director%20of%20InvestorInfo%20and%20has%20worked%20as%20a%20freelance%20journalist%20for%20the%20Australian%20Financial%20Review%2C%20CFO%2C%20Asset%20and%20Asia%20Asset%20Management.%20She%20has%20a%20Bachelor%20of%20Economics%20from%20Sydney%20University%20and%20a%20Master%20of%20Arts%20in%20Journalism%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Technology%2C%20Sydney.%20She%20was%20previously%20a%20columnist%20for%20the%20Canadian%20publication%2C%20Corporate%20Knights%2C%20which%20is%20distributed%20by%20the%20Globe%20and%20Mail%20and%20The%20Washington%20Post.%20White%20is%20currently%20a%20fellow%20in%20the%20Finance%20Leaders%20Fellowship%20at%20the%20Aspen%20Institute.%20The%20two-year%20program%20consists%20of%2022%20fellows%20and%20seeks%20to%20develop%20the%20next%20generation%20of%20responsible%2C%20community-spirited%20leaders%20in%20the%20global%20finance%20industry.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233531%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Famanda-white-101a7515%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]

Key takeaways

• We are making progress on various levels:
  • 120 countries have now committed to net zero
  • More and more private players and cities are committing to net zero
  • It is becoming increasingly easy to understand which stakeholders are on the right pathway to net zero and which are not

• Investors can join the race to zero club to accelerate action and place constructive pressure on their manager partners to follow suit.
• There is inevitable disruption here so we need to commit ourselves to the transition. Trump promised to bring back coal. It’s down 30 per cent. We all need to get on board.
• The future has the potential to look very different to today in the most positive sense. Asset owners are amongst the most influential voices in the world so speak up to help mould a better tomorrow.