A Sustainable Future

What's at stake in climate modelling? Professor Tapio Schneider, CalTech, discusses how computational science improves understanding of tail risks and extreme events; why small-scale processes are critical for accurate models; and how finance can better integrate climate data into investments.

What does the retreat from global climate initiatives mean and how are investors are still driving the energy transition outside of them?  Heather Zichal, JPMorgan Chase Global Head of Sustainability, talks about the role of finance in addressing climate change; why an increasing emphasis on climate adaptation makes sense; and how JP Morgan Chase is capacity building in the sustainability space.

Are there climate risks we shouldn’t be insuring anymore? Dr. Carolyn Kousky, Associate Vice President for Economics and Policy, discusses how climate change is reshaping insurance, what’s at stake if insurance markets begin to break down, and who ultimately bears the financial burden when the private market pulls back.

How could recent legal opinions shift state and private sector climate change obligations? Maurits Dolmans, Cleary Gottlieb, discusses how to rethink the obligations of fiduciary duty relative to climate action; why it may be the key to solving the climate prisoner’s dilemma; and what a legal framework for impact could look like.

What could a nuclear renaissance look like? Professor Katy Huff, former Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, discusses how to frame nuclear energy in a net zero context where nuclear fits into the US energy mix over the next several decades and why US nuclear innovation today is different from the false starts of the past.

How are asset owners emerging to drive the sustainable finance agenda? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Daan Spaargaren, PME Senior Strategist for Responsible Investment, about how PME is evolving its investment approach to include more active, sustainability-driven strategies; what that means functionally in the asset allocation process; and why it’s great to see asset owners like PME take on a bigger leadership role in the sustainable finance ecosystem.

What trade-offs will we need to make to achieve net zero? Listen to

How economically grounded is the UK’s net zero commitment? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Sir Dieter Helm, University of Oxford, about what new forces and factors are reshaping net zero ambitions; how the UK should think about optimal climate policy; and why a realist approach is critical for navigating the political economy factors of climate action.

How have politics and geoeconomics turned rare earths and critical minerals into pressure points in the expanding global trade conflict? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Saleem Ali, University of Delaware, about what the energy transition means in the context of environmental security; how multilateral initiatives and increasingly national efforts are working to reshape supply and demand dynamics; and why it’s critical we continue to rethink ways to diversify and secure global critical mineral supply chains.

What happens if access to US climate data becomes more limited? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Benjamin Horton, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, about what the political changes in the US could mean for the international scientific community; how that impact translates into access and availability of critical climate datasets; and why some climate scientists are already thinking about substitutes plans and worst case scenarios.