Top takeaways from our panel at the 2022 For ClimateTech Summit
We spoke about the need for better transparency in climate reporting, the uncertain future of ESG scores, and the ability for individuals to drive change through their investment decisions.
By Helen So
October 3, 2022
In September, GreenPortfolio co-founder Elizabeth Landau spoke as a panelist at the For ClimateTech Summit, which brought together industry experts, leaders, and investors to discuss opportunities & challenges in the rapidly expanding ClimateTech industry.
The summit is For ClimateTech’s flagship event to advance early-stage climate innovation and talk about renewable energy, carbontech, water, mobility, finance and more!
Elizabeth represented GreenPortfolio in the panel about climate impact transparency, joined by other industry leaders:
Charlie Moore, Head of Carbon & ESG Solutions at Chainlink Labs
Michele Demers, Founder and CEO of Boundless Impact Research & Analytics
And Shanu Mathew, Vice President of Sustainable Investing & Net Zero Research at Lazard Asset Management, who moderated the panel.
They discussed how corporations don’t really disclose all of the climate impact along their supply chains, their takes on ESG and our current standards for holding companies accountable for emissions, and more.
Here are our top 5 takeaways.
1. It’s important to give context to climate impact data.
So it makes sense to everyone and not just the experts. By switching from confusing, complex terms such as “degrees Celsius” and “metric tons CO2 equivalents” to ones more grounded in reality, leaders in both the climate and finance industries can help individuals unlock the power of their investments.
2. The best kind of ESG score is none at all.
When a company has a great presence in its community but has high emissions in its supply chain and doesn’t do as well in terms of governance, how would you come up with a rating that makes sense? Weighted average rollup scores are confusing, because bundling the E, S, and G doesn’t really work.
3. We should demand better data and analytics.
Most people we’re speaking to aren’t using a financial advisor and ESG ratings are the most easily accessible data points out there right now, so GreenPortfolio is focused on arming people with accurate, actionable data because everyone deserves to know what their money is funding.
4. GreenPortfolio can be a hub for climate activism.
We can close the loop on data and help individual customers understand and see that they’re a part of something bigger. We’re building a platform where individual acts of divestment and investment can come together to collectively reduce emissions and stand up to banks that are funding climate change.
5. The panel sees a hopeful, shifting future for climate transparency.
There are plenty of areas in which we anticipate change: ongoing increasing regulation in Europe (and hopefully in the US too), the emergence of carbon disclosure ratings that will be similar to finance ratings, and the rise of blockchain. Economies might form around other environmental areas, like ocean plastics and biodiversity. ESG scores as they are today will be gone, and frameworks will shift.
We’d like to thank For ClimateTech for organizing this summit! The three days were filled with innovative talks and inspiring speakers.
More articles you'll find interesting
Quick Links
Contact
Disclaimer: GreenPortfolio aims to keep all information on the site current and accurate. However, you may find differences between information listed here and information listed on a financial product provider’s website. Opinions expressed here are not those of any bank, credit card issuer or financial institution, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Please complete your own due diligence before making any financial decisions.
Advertising Disclosure: This article/post may contain references to products or services from one or more of our advertisers or partners. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products or services but this compensation does not influence our reviews or opinions. Read about our methodology to learn how we choose financial products to include on our platform.
©2023 GreenPortfolio Inc.