COP26 Events

Tuesday, 02 November, 13:00 - 14:00 GMT, Business Pavilion for Climate Leadership Boardroom, Hall 4 (physical and virtual)

From Earth Summit 1992 to COP26 – A Frank Dialogue on corporate sustainability and transparency

In this event we take stock of the current watershed moment in corporate sustainability and transparency and reflect on the vision set out 30 years ago. Our speakers will look back at that spirit of Rio in 1992 and comment on the journey over the years as well as the direction of travel. The movement that led business to start taking action on their impact on people and the planet has grown tremendously. Is it in line with the vision? Are the gaps policy can address? This is particularly important given the commencement of the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement, which will call for relevant impact assessment from Non-Parties actors. Speakers include: John Elkington, Founding Partner and Executive Chairman Volans Ventures; Teresa Fogelberg, Board Member at Impact Economy Foundation and former GRI Deputy Chief Executive; R Mukundan, Managing Director and CEO, TATA Chemicals; Isabella Teixeira, former Minister of Environment, Brazil.

Tuesday, 02 November, 13:35 - 14:15 GMT, Water Pavilion (physical and virtual)

Accelerating Water-Related Transparency and Action for the Financial Sector

By deciding what companies to invest in, financial institutions have an enormous impact on the global economy. To achieve a net zero and water secure economy, all stakeholders must have all hands on deck. The finance sector is no exception. CDP, along with WFN and Mercer, has initiated a project to improve transparency on water amongst financial institutions, utilizing its reporting framework for the finance sector. Tuesday 2nd November is Finance Day at the Water Pavilion, and CDP will be hosting an event to introduce the project and explore with leaders in finance and policy the impact this change could catalyze in the wider economy, and how financial institutions should be and are reacting as the global water crisis intensifies with climate breakdown, as underscored by the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report. Speakers include: Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs; Kathleen Dominique Programme Lead Financing Water, OECD; Amit Talgeri, Chief Risk Officer, Axis Bank, Cathrine de Coninck-Lopez, Global Head of ESG, Invesco; Mardi McBrien, Managing Director, CDSB; Cate Lamb, CDP Global Director for Water Security. You can watch this event live on Waterforclimate.net.

Tuesday, 02 November, 16:20 - 17:20 GMT, Brazil Climate Action Hub

How can the financial sector contribute to increasing Brazil's climate ambition?

It will be discussed how the financial sector can contribute to consolidate the ambition of climate ambition in Brazil, with the aim of understanding the role of the country in having a trajectory of temperature increase limited to 1.5°C. Representatives of financial institutions and networks that work with capital markets will debate the role of the financial sector in tackling climate change in the country and the next steps towards a low carbon transition, based on practical cases and concrete solutions .

Tuesday, 02 November, 15:05 - 15:45 GMT, Water Pavilion (physical and virtual)

Accelerating the Just Water Transition – disclosure, decision ready data, investment

This event, jointly chaired by Annabel Nelson (M&G) and Cate Lamb, will discuss the needs from an AM, AO as well as PLC around data requests and requirements, alongside content from Cate Lamb on the importance of water disclosures and holistic transitioning. You can watch this event live on waterforclimate.net.

Tuesday, 02 November, 16:00 - 17:00 GTM, Business Pavilion for Climate Leadership Boardroom, Hall 4(physical and virtual)

Government and Business Dialogue: Supporting Credible Climate Action

The UN Global Compact Network UK and CDP are organising a dialogue to advance UK business to join the Race to Zero and support the global transition to a net zero economy through adopting 1.5°C aligned science-based targets. The UN Global Compact and CDP are members of the UK Business Group Alliance for Net Zero and founding partners of the Science Based Targets initiative. They convene a broad network of business, government, and civil society to encourage ambitious corporate climate action. Speakers include: Andrew Griffith MP, UK Net Zero Business Champion and Member of Parliament for Arundel & South Downs; Vice President Sustainability at GSK; Steve Kenzie, Executive Director UN Global Compact UK.

Saturday, 06 November, 13:00 - 14:15 GMT, Brazil Climate Action Hub

Scaling up low-carbon practices in Brazilian agribusiness

This event will look at the role of tools for the implementation of sustainable practices in Brazilian agriculture. During the event, a study on low emissions and high carbon sequestration practices will be launched by Imaflora. Furthermore, it will be discussed the contribution of traceability mechanisms in fighting deforestation. The perceptions and expectations of major international buyers will also integrate the debate. By promoting exchanges on practical cases, the panel will present solutions to advance the land use agenda and the actions of subnational governments to ensure scalability in climate actions for agribusiness. In partnership with Coalition Brazil, Climate, Forests and Agriculture and Imaflora.

Monday, 08 November, 15:00 - 16:15 GMT, Clyde Auditorium (physical and virtual)

UNFCCC Side Event: Transform to Net Zero: Accelerating Non-Party Stakeholder Action for 1.5°C

Ambition & leadership of real economy actors is critical to achieve an inclusive, net zero economy by 2050. Corporate alignment to 1.5 via robust long-term and interim targets & strategies reduces supply chain emissions, defends climate equity & strengthens global momentum to accelerate action. Speakers will include key industry leaders from Transform to Net Zero; World Economic Forum; & the Business Ambition for 1.5 Campaign. The event will feature a panel & Q&A, with virtual and physical set-up, & ensure geographical diversity & gender parity. This event is in partnership with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and the World Economic Forum.

Tuesday, 09 November, 14:00 - 17:00 GMT, Brazil Climate Action Hub

Why do science-based targets matter?

What do science-based targets mean to different actors? This panel intends to answer that question and explain why these targets are a key strategy for a virtuous cycle of net-zero ambition. The Hub will invite representatives from sub-national governments and businesses to discuss their experiences in implementing targets in the land-use change, industrial and energy & transport sectors. The main challenges and opportunities associated with different levels of maturity and circumstances will be addressed. In partnership with IEC (Brazilian Business Initiative for Climate), IPAM and C40.

Tuesday, 09 November, 16:00 - 17:15 GMT, IDFC Pavilion

Assessing company transition with deep decarbonization pathways in Brazil and Mexico – lessons learned from the ACT-DDP Project

The Paris Agreement enacted two complementary dynamics for an ambitious action on climate. On the one hand, the mitigation and adaptation commitments fall to the national governments, who bear the responsibility to advance actions and policies according to their contributions to the global effort. On the other hand, non-state actors have significantly contributed to the construction of a favorable dynamic; However, these approaches remain too disconnected and there is a need to promote a dialogue between governments and private sector. ACT-DDP is a global project and has led to the production of a common methodology, of bottom-up and national sectoral decarbonization pathways and the assessment of the climate transition strategy of key Brazilian and Mexican companies in Cement, Power generation, Meat and Transportation sectors. This event will be a key opportunity to present the results and lessons learned from the assessment of LATAM companies and engage local governments. In partnership with IDDRI and ADEME.

Wednesday, 10 November, 09:30 - 12:00 GMT, Business Pavilion for Climate Leadership Boardroom (physical and virtual)

Driving Climate Action Through Disclosure: Disclosure as a Bedrock for ESG Action in India

This event is in partnership with FICCI and the We Mean Business Coalition. India’s new mandatory disclosure regime – Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) is a huge step towards standardized disclosures on ESG parameters and enable comparability across companies, sectors and over time. Building on the momentum towards climate action and COP26, this event will bring together representatives from government, regulators, investor community (domestic and international) and businesses to share their perspective on how Indian businesses can best use the mandatory disclosures to deepen their own climate commitments, drive action and attract green investment.

Wednesday, 10 November, 11:30 - 12:30 GMT, EU Pavilion (virtual)

Informing the Global Stocktake: Emissions Reduction Targets and Beyond

Racheting up climate ambition requires not only of progress toward emission targets, but also of processes that can increase climate ambition - as well as barriers preventing progress. This event will discuss methodological insights for how to assess Party and non-Party actions in a bottom-up manner by presenting examples from different countries.

Wednesday, 10 November, 15:00 - 16:30, Multimedia Studio 2 (physical and virtual)

The Investor Agenda: Accelerating global investor actions for a net-zero emissions economy

A record number of investors are setting net zero goals, developing climate action plans, engaging companies on transition planning and calling on policymakers to deliver robust policies in line with 1.5°C. Investors representing around 50% of global AUM have signed the Global Investor Statement to Governments. Confirmed speakers so far include: California State Controller Betty Yee, Board Member, CalPERS; Deanne Stewart, CEO, Aware Super; Fabio Alperowitch, Co-Founder, Fama Investimentos; Hidenao Makiuchi, Managing Director, Dai-Ichi Life International Europe; Paul Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, CDP.

Thursday, 11 November, 13:00 - 14:30 GMT, Nature Zone Pavilion (physical and virtual)

Disclosing Nature's Potential: Corporate Responses and the Need for Greater Ambition

IUCN and CDP will launch and share the findings of their new joint report, which assesses the extent to which voluntary corporate disclosures made by over 9,500 companies in CDP’s 2020 questionnaires report on nature-related risks, impacts, opportunities and responses. This event will invite a selection of companies that are making greater nature-related efforts to share their experiences.

Wednesday, 03 November, 11:00 - 12:00, GMT

Climate Action to Shape a Sustainable Financial System

Disclosure is key to scaling-up low-carbon investment and finance, ensuring climate risks are embedded in all financial decisions. We will hear from leaders from emerging economies, with whom CDP has been working with as part of the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transition) programme, supported by the UK Government and partnering with Global Reporting Initiative in Indonesia and Thailand, Green Finance and Development Centre and China Emissions Exchange Guangzhou in China to help implement. This event, focused on TCFD-aligned disclosure, will include 1) presentations from each region 2) a discussion on how to drive forward climate and environmental disclosure 3) a Q&A session.

Wednesday, 03 November, 13:00 - 14:00, GMT

Transitioning Finance and Financing the Transition

In order to finance the transition to net-zero, the industry itself must transform. This 2-part event, part of our corporate event series, will include: a discussion with leaders from financial institutions on regulatory and internal risk management changes and how this will transition finance, followed by a discussion with HSBC and Walmart on a collaborative product innovation helping finance the transition, by decarbonizing supply chains using sustainability linked loans. Speakers include: Katherine Garrett-Cox, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf International Bank (UK) and Chair of CDP Worldwide; Rishi Madlani, Head of Climate and Sustainable Finance, Natwest Group; Huifeng Zhang, Regional Head, Corporate Sustainability (Asia Pacific) HSBC; Ronnie Tham, Director at Walmart Global Sourcing. This event is sponsored by Liontrust, L'Oréal, OneTrust, SailGP and Rothschild & Co.

Friday, 05 November, 15:00 - 16:00, GMT

Nature's Place in the Race: The Business Case

This event, part of our corporate event series, will present a selection of private sector actors who are leading in the implementation of Nature-based Solutions and explore what is meant by best practice, as well as how policymakers can incentivize businesses to move even further along their environmentally positive path, creating an ambition loop to accelerate progress toward the objectives of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. Speakers include: Thomas Maddox (Global Director, Forests and Land, CDP); Paul Simpson (Chief Executive Officer, CDP); Gladys Naylor (Group Head of Sustainability, Mondi); Denise Hills (Global Sustainability Director, Natura & Co Latin America); Camille Bemerguy (Director of Climate Change and Bioeconomy in the State of Pará, Brazil); David Kennedy (Director General for Food, Farming and Biosecurity, DEFRA); and Sandeep Sengupta (Global Coordinator, Climate Change Portfolio, IUCN). This event is sponsored by Liontrust, L'Oréal, SailGP and OneTrust.

Monday, 08 November, 15:00 - 16:00, GMT

Scaling 1.5 Ambition

As part of our corporate event series, join us for a deep dive into 1.5°C aligned corporate climate action. We will celebrate the progress made since Paris, discuss the challenges and opportunities of transforming hard-to-abate sectors and explore how investors and purchasing organizations can leverage their influence to drive 1.5°C aligned science-based targets and implementation. Speakers include: Paul Dickinson (Founder and Chair, CDP); Magali Anderson (Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer, Holcim Ltd); Jeanne-Mey Sun (Vice President, Sustainability, NRG); Antoine Vanlaeys (Chief Operating Officer, L'Oréal); James McCall (Chief Sustainability Officer, HP Inc); Francesco Curto (Global Head of Research, DWS); Mike Appleby (Investment Manager, Sustainable Investment Team, Liontrust). This event is sponsored by Liontrust, L'Oréal, SailGP and OneTrust .

Tuesday, 09 November, 10:00 - 11.15 GMT

Deforestation-free value chains for a nature positive future

The webinar will gather capital market, corporate and European policy insights to improve understanding of tackling deforestation in value chains and the importance for all stakeholders to move further with a nature-positive impact. This will ensure that we will tackle holistically multiple environmental challenges and deliver benefits for the climate, for forests and natural ecosystems, and for people. We follow insights on emerging regulatory measures to tackle imported deforestation in Europe, and showcase private sector action to curb deforestation and examples of nature-positive impacts. Speakers include Thomas Maddox, Global Director, Forests and Land at CDP; Marco Daldoss Pirri, Regional Lead, Forests at CDP; Monda Freundt, Senior Policy and Government Partnerships Manager, CDP Europe; Li Fei, Associate China Director, CDP.

Thursday, 11 November, 10:00 GMT

Sustainable Finance Beyond Climate

There is growing consensus that the current focus on climate from regulators and financial markets will not be sufficient to managing the many negative impacts associated with breaching the planetary boundaries. International coordination will be needed to move the discussion, building on the knowledge already existing and adapting it to different, but related, issues. In this session we will discuss the need to expand the world of sustainable finance beyond climate, ongoing and future initiatives on the topics of water, forests and biodiversity alongside points of contact to leverage and gaps to fill. Speakers include Mark Kenber CEO of Climate Advisers UK and Managing Director of Orbitas; Dr. Tianyin Sun, Coordinator, Study Group on Biodiversity and Financial Stability, NGFS. The event will be moderated by CDP Europe's Director of Policy Engagement Mirjam Wolfrum.

Thursday, 11 November, 14:00 - 15:15 GMT

Collaborate to Adapt: local government climate cooperation in Europe

We are a fifth through the decade of climate action. We are facing a ‘code red’ for humanity; this is our final chance to protect our environment, and ensure our cities and regions are safe, resilient places to live and work. In adapting to the impacts of climate change, cities and regions must ensure that their citizens and urban environments not only survive, but thrive. In this webinar, local environmental action takes the stage to inspire others to achieve their objectives faster. As CDP’s Cities on the route to 2030 report recently showed, collaboration at all levels of government is needed. This webinar will give insights from subnational and national government representatives to improve understanding of climate adaptation measures and show how collaboration breeds success. Speakers include Étienne Métais, Senior Manager at CDP Europe (Cities & Regions); Marta Vescovi, Senior Cities, States and Regions Officer, CDP. This event is in partnership with Climate Pact and the Ministry for Ecological Transition of Italy.

Tuesday, 23 November, 15:00 - 16:00 GMT

CDP COP26 Debrief

CDP will be inviting experts to reflect on the outcomes of COP26, its implications for business and the action that needs to be taken now if we are to achieve a 1.5-degree future.

Monday, 08 November - Wednesday, 10 November

Sustainable Innovation Forum

The 12th Sustainable Innovation Forum takes place alongside COP26 in Glasgow with a fully programmed hybrid event creating a virtual window into COP26, connecting our physical and digital realities, and providing a trusted a global platform for you to engage in the most important climate meeting of our generation. The role of non-state actors in the transition to net zero is critical. The Sustainable Innovation Forum’s platform offers all stakeholders the opportunity to have a tangible impact at COP, helping forge the cross sector, public-private partnerships essential for transformational change, showcasing business action, the power of green finance and the innovative solutions at our disposal today. Speakers include Aniruddha Dasgupta, President and CEO, World Resources Institute; Jonathan Brearley, Chief Executive, Ofgem. You can register for free or get a discounted Premium Digital Pass by using code CDP20.

Wednesday, 10 November, 14:00 - 14:45 GMT (virtual)

SBTi Business Ambition for Climate Action: From Ambition to Action

This sesson will highlight the progress and leadership of companies that have backed 1.5°C climate action through the Science Based Target intiative’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign . It will showcase the success of the campaign and explain what is needed in the years ahead in order to fully decarbonize by 2050 and keep global warming to 1.5°C.

Monday, 08 November, 14:00 - 15:30 GMT

The Catalytic Role of Regions in Raising Ambitions for Adaptation and Resilience

The event, hosted by Regions4, will look at five years of good practice and experiences from the initiative and its members, paying attention to how regional governments contribute to raising ambition on adaptation and how they foster a multi-level governance approach to climate action by collaborating with local and national counterparts. Speakers include: George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, British Columbia; Nuin-Tara Key, Director of Resilience, California; and Arantxa Tapia, Minister of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment, Basque Country. The event will be moderated by Dr. Susan Chomba, Global Ambassador for the UNFCCC’s Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns.

Monday 8th November 2021, 2pm – 4pm GMT, French Pavilion, Blue Zone

Carbon Neutrality: how companies can contribute to global net zero and demonstrate robust strategies and transition plans

The concept of carbon neutrality has widely spread since COP21, and is at the heart of numerous international initiatives such as the recent Race to Zero campaign. But its understanding and appropriation differ from one to another. The ACT initiative, co-sponsored by ADEME and the CDP, and the Net Zero initiative, led by Carbone 4, both aim to provide a framework for action and communication by companies, in order to report on their alignment with decarbonization pathways that respect the Paris Agreement. What are the key points for successful and ambitious appropriation of the carbon neutrality objectives by companies? How can companies contribute effectively to achieve global carbon neutrality? What climate accountability do companies have with respect to their carbon neutrality commitments? Speakers include: French ministry of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili (TBC), ADEME, Carbone4, Entreprise pour l'Environnement, EDF, LVMH, Alstom, Schneider Electric, Orange, Decathlon, Children Investment Fund Foundation (key note).