- This event has passed.
This is an online event.
A large and increasing number of companies have voluntarily committed to science-based targets to reduce carbon emissions pursuant to the Paris Agreement. While abating current carbon emissions is the highest priority, many companies have also incorporated carbon offsets into their strategy, particularly for near-term, hard-to-abate emissions. As a result, Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs) have grown rapidly, and that growth is expected to continue.
However, VCMs present myriad problems from both a practical and theoretical standpoint; it is unclear whether these problems will be solved such that VCMs will function “healthily” on the timeline required by rapid global warming. Nevertheless, VCMs may be one of our best tools for mobilizing capital toward climate change solutions, and can be a valid part of a broader sustainability strategy for corporate actors under certain conditions. This event will cover the following relevant topics for companies participating in VCMs:
- VCM history, context, and relative scale & importance in the overall effort to mitigate climate change.
- The theoretical limitations of the markets themselves, both as healthy, efficient markets and also in terms of their actual climate impact.
- Whether and how VCMs can contribute to an organization’s overall sustainability strategy.
- If a company chooses to participate, what business and legal considerations are important (e.g., strategy, diligence), and how VCMs can be used responsibly?
- Corporate governance: Where & how VCM participation should be owned within an organization, and how it should be reported without.
Confirmed Speakers *
Luciana Aquino-Hagedorn (General Counsel, NCX)
Amy Bann (Head of Supply & Ecosystem, Xpansiv)
Paul Barker (Partner, Kirkland & Ellis)
Danny Cullenward (Policy Director, Carbonplan)
Muireann Mageras (Environmental Strategy & Advisory, Vartree Partners)
Sam McClure (Director, Rock Center for Corporate Governance)
Mark Phillips (CMO Sustainability, McKinsey & Company)
Marc Roston (Research Fellow, Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance)
Alicia Seiger (Managing Director, Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance)
Frances Seymour (Distinguished Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute)
* Speakers subject to change
To view the current agenda and list of confirmed speakers, visit the conference website.