How to build a sustainable financial system

Never before has so much finance been committed to integrating environmental, social and governance factors into decision-making—and yet never before has so much capital been out of alignment with long-term sustainability. 2020 needs to be the year when the world’s financial system makes the irreversible shift towards consistency with both the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Critical milestones include the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this November and the Biodiversity summit in Kunming the month before. This lecture identifies the critical issues at stake in sustainable finance and set out the new horizons for action by the financial sector, financial regulators and society at large.

Podcast

The audio recording of the lecture is available via Mixcloud (streamed below).

Slides

The slides are available for download in pdf (3.3MB).

About

Nick is a Professor in Practice for Sustainable Finance at the Grantham Research Institute. Nick leads the sustainable finance research theme. The focus of his work is on how to mobilise finance for a just transition, the role of central banks and regulators in achieving sustainable development and how the financial system can support the restoration of nature.

From 2014 to 2018, Nick was co-director of UN Environment’s Inquiry into a Sustainable Finance System. As part of this, Nick led country activities in Brazil, the EU, India, Italy and the UK, as well as thematic work focused on investors, insurance and green banking. Before joining UNEP, he was Head of the Climate Change Centre of Excellence at HSBC. Prior to HSBC, Nick was head of Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) funds at Henderson Global Investors. Nick has also worked at the International Institute for Environment and Development, the European Commission and the Business Council for Sustainable Development. Nick has a BA in History from Cambridge University and an MSc in International Relations from LSE.