Climate change is one of the most defining issues of our time. Leaders and citizens are increasingly calling for effective cooperative action.

Mark Campanale, Founder & Executive Director of Carbon Tracker will speak at this 2-day conference which will bring together scientists, business executives, investors, entrepreneurs, and activists from the U.S., Europe, and Asia to discuss the many facets and complexities of climate investing.

Opportunities and Challenges

In all likelihood the next three to four decades will offer unparalleled opportunities for innovation on a global scale. Radically new technologies, business models, and business processes will emerge that not only redefine energy, but also commerce as a whole for the second half of the twenty-first century. Literally tens of trillions of dollars will be invested over this timeframe.

The challenges are daunting. The latest reports from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that it is still possible to keep an increase in global warming under 2°C, but this will take an unprecedented level of swift, global, cooperative action. The International Energy Agency reports that the world’s current trajectory of energy use puts us on a course for a 3.6°C increase. To have even a 50-50 chance of staying under the 2°C ceiling will require an estimated investment of $53 trillion dollars from now through 2035. This will demand a far different allocation of capital than is in place today, and it will necessitate the development of a new generation of investment vehicles. In the most detailed study to date, the journal Nature recently announced that in order to achieve the 2°C target, 80% of the world’s coal, 50% of its gas, and 30% of its oil will need to remain in the ground forever. Such potentially stranded assets require a redefinition of risk as we accelerate the move to renewable fuels.

Please find more information on the event agenda and registration here.

For further information, contact climateinvesting@nd.edu.