Aligning investment with climate action: a conversation
Without aligning investment with Paris Agreement objectives, it will be impossible to address climate change. This event saw experts discuss ways in which governments are seeking to prioritise, incentivise and coordinate action for climate-aligned investment across sectors.
A mural by visual artist Edith Morales Sánchez in the Intag Valley, Ecuador (Photo: screenshot from the documentary 'The Tribunal' by Malcolm Rogge in partnership with the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 DEED)
Without aligning investment with Paris Agreement objectives, it will be impossible to address climate change. This event saw experts discuss ways in which governments are seeking to prioritise, incentivise and coordinate action for climate-aligned investment across sectors.
As the window for action on climate change closes, how can governments take rapid action to ensure land-based investments contribute to building resilience and adaptive capacities, rather than worsen devastating climate change impacts?
How can this be paired with curbing investment incentives for emissions-heavy activity, promoting instead zero-carbon investments in the interest of all? How, for example, do we manage the trade-offs of deforestation driven by energy transition-related critical mineral mining?
In this conversation, experts discussed the ways in which governments are seeking to prioritise, incentivise and coordinate action for climate-aligned investment across sectors, through more coherent laws and policies.
But change at the national level will not be sufficient. The global community needs international investment frameworks designed with climate change in mind. Aligning investment treaties with climate goals involves rethinking issues such as which investments are promoted and how, and how to safeguard space for public action that advances climate goals.
Listen to this conversation with experts grappling with these governance challenges to fundamental change and shining a light on where we need to focus our change efforts.
About the speakers
Grace Brennan, programme associate, Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment (CCSI)
Isaac Mwaipopo, Centre for Trade Policy and Development, Zambia
Lorenzo Cotula, principal researcher and head of law, economies and justice programme, IIED
Olivia Rumble, Climate Legal, South Africa
Dr Ayele Hegena Anabo, national environmental law development and enforcement advisor, GIZ/Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority
Emily Polack, senior researcher, law, economies and justice programme, IIED (moderator)
Event coverage
You can watch a recording of the event below or on IIED's YouTube channel, where individual links to the start of each speaker are also provided.
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ALIGN supports governments, civil society, communities and peoples, and other relevant actors in strengthening the governance of land-based investments. The project is implemented by a consortium led by IIED, CCSI and Namati, and is funded with UK aid from the UK government.
This event was held as part of ALIGN by IIED and CCSI, however the views expressed did not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of ALIGN partners or the UK government.
Contact
Anne Schulthess ([email protected]), marketing manager, IIED's Communications Group
