A Sustainable Future

Is the cynicism around net zero justified? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Chris Stark, Chief Executive of the UK’s Climate Change Committee discuss the world’s expectations going into COP26; what the Climate Change Committee is doing to advise the UK government on its net zero path; and why it’s vital that we frontload climate investment in order to turn strong words into strong action on the reality of climate change.

Chris Stark is Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee. He was previously Director of Energy and Climate Change in the Scottish Government where he led the development of Scotland’s approach to emissions reduction and the energy system transition. Established under the UK’s Climate Change Act in 2008, the Climate Change Committee is an independent, statutory body that advises both the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets. The Committee also reports to Parliament on progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change.  

Find the full transcript of this episode on Man Institute.

It is well established that climate change poses significant risks to businesses and future investments but these concerns are often intricately connected to biodiversity and nature-related issues. Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, and co-chair of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures joins the podcast to discuss how firms can report and act on evolving nature-related risks.

 In this far-reaching conversation, Elizabeth Mrema and Jason Mitchell, co-Head of Responsible Investment at Man Group, talk about the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference COP-15, the legacy of the 2010 governmental Aichi Biodiversity Targets and what the new expectations may be for a post-pandemic global biodiversity framework.

 You can find the full transcript of this episode at: https://www.man.com/maninstitute/a-sustainable-future-podcast

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema is United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Executive Secretary of United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, a multilateral treaty addressing the loss of biodiversity and climate change, and co-chair of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).

Elizabeth has two decades of experience working in the development and environment sectors. She is biodiversity leader and lawyer, from Tanzania, with a track record of negotiating next-generation policies and enabling instruments for planet, people, and prosperity. Elizabeth’s work as Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) focused on the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws both at the national, regional, and international level.

 Her previous work includes being the Executive Secretary of the UNEP/Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in which she oversaw the conservation of migratory animals globally.

Is ESG outperformance coming to end? Is an ESG asset bubble brewing? Listen to Jason Mitchell talk with Abraham Lioui, Professor of Finance at EDHEC Business School, about his latest paper, Chasing the ESG Factor. In this deep-dive episode, the two discuss how investors may be mispricing ESG, the implications of identifying ESG risk premia and why more rigorous approaches are absolutely essential to understanding ESG in the context of quantitative finance.

What does climate risk represent to the US financial system? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Commissioner Rostin Behnam, Acting Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, about how the CFTC is thinking about climate risk, what those implications mean for derivatives markets and why well-developed carbon and carbon offset markets will support the transition to a net zero economy.

To read the full transcript of this episode here.

Commissioner Ross Behnam is Acting Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As sponsor of the CFTC’s Market Risk Advisory Committee, Chairman Behnam led the development of the report, Managing Climate Risk in the US Financial System, published in September last year. Previously, he was a senior counsel to Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) at the Senate Agricultural Committee, focusing on p

How do corporate boards work? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Dambisa Moyo, international economist and author, how the nature of board oversight is evolving, what that means in the context of greater pressure on socio-environmental issues and why calls to reform capitalism ultimately mean a turn towards a multi-stakeholder model and away from traditional shareholder-centrism.

We're giving away copies of Dambisa's new book. Tag Man Group on social media with a comment about your thoughts on this episode or send your thoughts to [email protected] to potentially win a free copy.

You can find a full transcript of this episode here.

The ability to absorb risk and be truly ‘additional’ in the world of impact investing sets development finance institutions apart from markets. Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Nick O’Donohoe, CEO of CDC Group, on how institutions are providing much-needed liquidity and capital during the pandemic and why investor action on climate and the Sustainable Development Goals (‘SDGs’) is vital to advancing the development agenda.

In this far-reaching episode, Nick discusses the roots of impact investing, the popularisation of impact investing and the SDGs, the dearth of venture capital that’s needed to support young entrepreneurs and digital businesses, and how DFIs can move towards higher risk projects.

You can find the full transcript of this episode and more information about responsible investing at Man Group here.

What does the race to net zero carbon emissions represent for the investment community? And how can investor network initiatives like the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (‘IIGCC’) develop meaningful investment frameworks to support it?Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Faith Ward, Chief Responsible Investment Officer at Brunel Pension Partnership, why it’s so important for investors to work alongside government, corporates and civil society to reach net zero if we’re going to make the Paris Agreement a reality. For more information visit www.man.com/maninstitute/responsible-investment This podcast was recorded on 23 Feb 2021.