Business & Financial Sectors Converge at COP21

Dozens of major companies and investors from across the United States will be joining the nonprofit sustainability group Ceres at the upcoming climate negotiations in Paris in support of a strong global climate deal that will accelerate the shift to a low-carbon, clean energy economy.

November 25, 2015 /3BL Media/ -- Business and investor support for a strong climate agreement at the 21^st Conference of the Parties (COP21) is unprecedented and growing. In just the past few months, leading food sector companies, major U.S. banks and over 400 investors with $24 trillion in assets have called on government leaders to adopt a strong climate accord that will catalyze low-carbon investments to the levels that are needed in order to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. (For details, visit www.ceres.org/cop21.)

“Businesses and investors are speaking with a clear voice: we need a strong agreement that will put us on a path that avoids catastrophic climate change,” said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres and director of the $13 trillion Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), who will be arriving in Paris on Dec. 2. “A successful COP21 will unleash investment and innovation in clean energy at the scale that is needed to limit global warming and protect the global economy.”

Ceres will be hosting and participating at numerous events, which will also feature many of the nation’s largest institutional investors and Fortune 500 giants in the food, apparel and electric power sectors. Among the highlights from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11:

KEY EVENTS:

Dec. 3, 3:00 – 4:30pm: Investing for the Long Term: Addressing Carbon Asset Risks Investors will discuss how climate change is affecting their investment strategies for their portfolios, especially for fossil fuel companies whose business strategies are being disrupted by low-carbon technologies, carbon-reducing regulations and other climate trends. This session will feature remarks by Ceres President Mindy Lubber, INCR member Jack Ehnes, CEO of CalSTRS (the 2^nd largest public pension fund in the U.S.) and other speakers.

Sponsors: The event is co-sponsored by Ceres together with Carbon Tracker Initiative, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), and Climate Markets and Investment Association (CMIA).
Access: Event is in the Le Bourget “Blue Zone.” Open to all with UNFCCC accreditation.
Twitter Hashtag: #COP21CarbonRisk

Dec. 4, 10:15am – 1:30pm: Private Finance Focus, Lima Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) This event is focused on private financial sector (investors, banks, insurers) actions to address climate change, including new commitments from major U.S. and European financial players. Featuring remarks by INCR member, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and other speakers.   Sponsors: Caisse des Depots is coordinating this event on behalf of the French and Peruvian COP presidencies, the UN Secretary-General, and UNFCCC
Access: Event is in the Le Bourget “Blue Zone.” UNFCCC accreditation required.
Hashtag: #COP21Finance Dec. 4, 1:15pm: Corporate Climate Leadership In Action This Ceres event will feature investor and business leaders taking strong climate actions, including pollution reductions, renewable energy sourcing or public advocacy for strong climate policies. Featuring remarks by top executives at North Carolina-based apparel giant VF Corp., food company Mars Inc. and heath-care company Dignity Health (all are members of Ceres’ Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP.)  Also speaking are Ceres President Mindy Lubber and CalSTRS CEO Jack Ehnes.

Sponsor: Ceres’ BICEP
Access: Event is in U.S. Center in the Le Bourget “Blue Zone” and UNFCCC accreditation is required.
Hashtag: #COP21BICEP

Dec. 4, 3 – 4:30 pm: Investor Actions on Climate Change: Building on Momentum Past Paris The session will focus on how more than 400 investors are taking action on climate change by measuring carbon emissions, reallocating capital, engaging with companies, and helping shape policy frameworks. Featuring remarks by INCR member Anne Simpson, corporate governance director at CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the U.S.   Event Sponsors: Ceres’ INCR, IIGCC, IGCC, AIGCC, PRI, CDP and UNEP-FI.
Access: Event is in the Le Bourget “Blue Zone” and UNFCCC accreditation is required.
Hashtag: #COP21Investors
  Dec. 7 & 8: Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF15) SIF15 is coordinated by Climate Action and the UN Environment Programme, and is the largest business-focused event held during the annual Conference of Parties (COP). The Forum convenes participants from business, government, finance, UN, NGO and civil society.   Ceres President Mindy Lubber will be speaking as part of a keynote plenary session on Dec. 8 at 9:20am regarding Sustainable Supply Chain Innovation & the Circular Economy.
Access: Stade de France (gate E) in Paris. Registration required.

Dec. 8 & 9: International NY Times Energy for Tomorrow Conference
Ceres Insurance Program Director Cynthia McHale will be speaking on Dec. 8 at 3:35 pm at The Energy for Tomorrow Lounge: Bottom Lines 2, regarding “Putting a Premium on Climate.”
Access: Registration required
For more info: http://inytenergyfortomorrow.com

About Ceres
Ceres is a nonprofit organization mobilizing business leadership on climate change, water scarcity and other global sustainability challenges. Ceres directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of more than 110 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $13 trillion. Ceres also directs BICEP, an advocacy coalition of 36 businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation. For more information, visit www.ceres.org or follow on Twitter @CeresNews.