New Summits

In a world that is finally waking up to the climate crisis, everyone has new summits to reach. The COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow this November will be a crucial test. Stronger decarbonization and climate-financing commitments must be made to keep the world on a sustainable path. But even then, the real work will have only just begun. As more businesses hop on the “sustainability” bandwagon, there is an urgent need for new standards and frameworks to sort out genuine green businesses from greenwashers. At the same time, economic thinking is necessarily evolving to account for new environmental realities – though the question of how this should be done is the subject of intense debate. To explore these issues and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead on the eve of a crucial moment for global climate action, Project Syndicate is convening a broad range of experts from business, academia, government, and other front-line disciplines.

New Summits is one of two feature events at the center of our 2021 Climate Week coverage. Register now to join us for both events.

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Speakers

Agenda

Moderator: Jo Coburn
1:00PMKeynote Address
  1. Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
Session One – The New Green Economics
The unprecedented scale and urgency of the climate crisis has led many economists to question long-held assumptions and demand new thinking. How should the discipline evolve to account for today’s climatic and ecological realities?
1:05PMPanel Discussion and Q&A with International Media:
  1. Daron Acemoglu, Professor of Economics at MIT
  2. Ann Pettifor, Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME)
  3. Mamphela Ramphele, Co-President of the Club of Rome, Co-Founder of ReimagineSA
  4. Gernot Wagner, Clinical Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at NYU
1:50PMClosing Remarks
  1. Hailemariam Desalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia
1:55PMBreak
Session Two – Green Capitalism
With a growing number of businesses, financial institutions, and investors expressing support for more environmentally sustainable approaches, there is an urgent need for clarity across all sectors. What are the best ways to help the private sector go green?
2:10PMOpening Remarks
  1. Paul Polman, Former CEO Unilever, Vice Chair of UN Global Compact
2:15PMPanel Discussion and Q&A with International Media
  1. May Boeve, Executive Director of 350.org
  2. Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of RMI
  3. Eila Kreivi, Head of Capital Markets at the European Investment Bank
  4. Katharina Pistor, Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School
  5. Huw van Steenis, Chair of Sustainable Finance at UBS
3:05PMClosing Remarks
  1. Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
3:10PMBreak
Session Three – Harnessing Civil Society
While much of the climate debate focuses on governments and key industries, philanthropies and NGOs offer abundant human, social, and financial capital for driving the global green transition. How can – and should – civil society lead in this effort?
3:25PMOpening Remarks
  1. Mark Malloch-Brown, President of the Open Society Foundations
3:30PMFireside Chat
  1. Jennifer Morris, CEO of The Nature Conservancy
  2. Andrew Steer, President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund
  3. Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation
4:00PMClosing Remarks
  1. Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland

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