UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)

Extreme weather events are rapidly increasing in frequency and intensity due to the effects of climate change, making it difficult for insurance companies to manage rising risks and costs. Insurers are now left with no choice but to find ways to weather the storm. In the second episode of UNEP FI’s new podcast series Financing the future, we speak to Lesley Ndlovu, CEO of Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) and member of UNEP FI’s Leadership Council about how Africa is being affected by climate change, ways to manage climate risks and costs, and the role of insurers and the wider finance community in financing adaptation for a resilient future.

Increasingly, companies around the world are using non-financial factors like the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices as part of their evaluation process to identify material risks and growth opportunities. In our first Episode of Financing The Future we speak to Ms. Jessica Tan the Co-CEO of Ping An Group, one of the three largest integrated financial groups in China. We discuss how innovation and technology can scale up ESG.

The high-level dialogue between Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Koushik Chatterjee, CFO, Tata Steel and member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) as well as TCFD, focused on the intersections between climate and nature at UNEP FI's Global Roundtable. As nature action rises up in the sustainability agenda, especially in recent years, policymakers and businesses must begin to acknowledge the interdependence between climate and nature. The guests explore the similarities of work and approaches between TCFD and TNFD, and consider how businesses can consider climate and nature as they craft and implement their sustainability strategies.

Including social equity considerations in investment decisions and processes is critical for the blue economy to deliver its full potential in addressing global challenges. In this episode, we look at the human dimension of the sustainable blue economy, focusing on the role of financial actors. Five experts from the academic, NGO and finance communities join the conversation, giving insights on how organisations can finance a blue economy that is sustainable, economically viable, and socially equitable.

A conversation with Charles Emond, CEO of CDPQ, Guy Cormier, CEO of Desjardins, and Nili Gilbert, Chair of the Investment Committee at the David Rockefeller Fund