Manifest was pleased to participate on two panels at the recent Responsible Investor Americas 2018 in New York. Laura Zizzo moderated a panel on the alignment with the TCFD recommendations for both companies and investors while Joy Williams participated on the plenary panel on climate change divest/invest debate.
On Laura’s panel, both companies and investors arrived at the same conclusion. The TCFD recommendations have highlighted that climate change needs to be integrated into the core business. This will mean engaging staff within the organization. And the key to doing this successfully is to get started early and keep it simple.
The debate on climate change divest/invest showcased very different opinions and approaches from a diverse set of panelists. Joy’s key point was that this language itself is polarizing and rather than an argumentative approach, time would be better spent developing a credible plan as investors see the signs of a low-carbon transition. After all, many investors have plans for other events such as market downturns or volatility upticks, why not climate change?
The conference was well attended this year with over 500 delegates and touched on wide ranging topics from tax policy to the Sustainable Development goals. Climate change was represented throughout the agenda and has certainly moved into mainstream discussions. Overall, the tone of this year’s conference was one of moving forward with momentum behind many of the formerly ‘niche’ issues and we look forward to what 2019 will bring.
Photos: RI Americas 2018, Response Global Media Limited
