A Sustainable Future

How are the courts reshaping client action? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Amy Rose, Global Director of Litigation, Governance and Legal Services for ClientEarth, about what strategic impact litigation represents; how constitutional and human rights theories are providing a framework for climate legal action; and why the courts, not policymakers, may well end up reshaping definitions of ESG and greenwashing.Amy Rose is Global Director of Litigation, Governance and Legal Services for ClientEarth. She specialises in strategic impact litigation and oversees the strategy and management of ClientEarth's diverse and growing litigation portfolio. Amy headed the ClientEarth Strategic Litigation Programme which laid the groundwork for bringing litigation at scale across Europe. She focuses on supporting our legal teams to bring a wide range of climate and environmental cases across Europe and around the world. Amy also manages ClientEarth's organisational Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning framework, and sits on the Risk and Compliance Committee, ensuring compliance with ethical and practice of the law obligations of ClientEarth lawyers licensed in over 15 countries. 

How is climate change redefining security narratives? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with General Tom Middendorp, former Chief of Defence for the Netherlands and author of Climate General, about what’s at stake when we talk about climate security; how the defence sector is evolving to address climate risk, from net zero paths to disaster relief missions; and why the military’s level of readiness, resilience and redundancy offers compelling lessons for how to tackle climate change.General (Ret.) Tom MiddendorpGeneral (Ret.) Tom Middendorp was the Chief of Defence for the Netherlands from 2012 to 2017 in a military career spanning 38 years, and the author of a new book, Climate General. He commanded soldiers on all levels, led a large multinational taskforce in the south of Afghanistan and was involved in over twenty different military missions as the Director of Operations. As the Chief of Defence for the Netherlands, General Middendorp led the Defence organisation through an intense period of transition and international cooperation. He joined the Clingendael Institute as a Senior Research Associate and is Chairman of the International Military Council on Climate and Security. He is also the Netherlands’ Special Envoy on European Defence Cooperation and a Senior Advisor in the areas of security, defence and strategic leadership. 

After the energy crisis, what comes next? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Tim Gould, IEA Chief Energy Economist, the IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook report, the implications of the energy crisis, and policymakers’ efforts to balance decarbonisation, energy security and price affordability.Tim Gould is the International Energy Agency’s Chief Energy Economist. He provides strategic advice on energy economics across a wide range of IEA activities and analysis. Tim, is also Head of the Division for Energy Supply and Investment Outlooks, in which capacity he co-leads the World Energy Outlook, the IEA’s flagship publication, and oversees the Agency’s work on investment and finance, including the World Energy Investment report. Tim joined the IEA in 2008, initially as a specialist on Russian and Caspian energy, and in recent years has designed and directed the World Energy Outlook together with the IEA’s Chief Energy Modeller. Prior to joining the IEA, Mr Gould was Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Energy Charter and has ten years of experience in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine.

What makes someone an ESG expert? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Kim Schumacher at Kyushu University, about what competence greenwashing represents; how to capacity plan and build around subject matter expertise in the natural sciences; and why we need to consider an ESG Skills Materiality framework towards this effort.Professor Kim Schumacher is an Associate Professor in Sustainable Finance and ESG at Kyushu University in Japan. He’s also a Visiting Lecturer at the Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan and an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on ESG data and impact metrics, sustainability reporting, greenwashing, green bonds, natural capital, nature-based carbon offsets, biodiversity and ecosystem services, renewable energy project development, and TCFD/TNFD disclosures. He is also a Lead Author for the UN’s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a member of the Technical Working Groups of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board, the Climate Bonds Initiative, and the Green Finance Network Japan.

What does the data say about our net zero ambitions? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Vaclav Smil, academic and author of the New York Times bestseller How the World Really Works, what the energy transition by 2050 realistically means; how energy transitions have evolved historically; and what are the real implications when people talk of a climate ‘earthshot’.Vaclav SmilVaclav is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. Regarded as being among the most important thought leaders of our time, he’s the author of forty-five books and over 500 papers, including the New York Times bestsellers How the World Really Works and Energy and Civilization: A History. One of Bill Gates’ favourite authors, Vaclav has spent his career exploring new ground in the fields of energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment and public policy. He’s been named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers.

How is the UK FCA driving the next evolution of sustainability regulation? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Sacha Sadan, FCA Director of ESG, what the FCA’s new SDR framework means for investors; how it aims to provide anti-greenwashing protections; and why we need to work towards greater harmonisation across the multitude of global sustainability standards.Sacha SadanSacha Sadan is the Director of ESG at the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) where he oversees ESG across the wide spectrum of regulatory activities and reports to the CEO. Prior to the FCA, Sacha was Director of Investment Stewardship and on the board at Legal and General Investment Management where he had responsibility for investment stewardship, collaborating with other investors, governments and regulators. Sacha was previously a UK equity manager at Gartmore where he co-managed a range of UK equity hedge, retail and institutional funds.

Can the fashion industry become truly sustainable? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Janice Wang, Alvanon CEO, what sustainability means in a fashion context, how to adapt to shifting demographics and changing body types, and why efficiencies like 3D and digital technologies are already revolutionising the market.Janice Wang, CEOJanice Wang is CEO of Alvanon and Chairwoman of the Board at MOTIF, the online professional development platform for the apparel industry. She is a Member of the Board of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited, a Member of the Advisory Board for The Mills Fabrica, and Director of the Board, Hong Kong Chapter, for the International Women’s Forum.

What is COP27 set to accomplish? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Quamrul Chowdury, COP27 Lead Climate Negotiator, about what to expect going into COP27, how G-77 and LDC negotiating positions are taking shape, and what’s at stake for the most climate-vulnerable countries.Quamrul Chowdury has been a climate negotiator for over thirty years. He serves as a Lead Climate and Sustainable Development Negotiator of the 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and 134 G-77 Developing Countries at UN bodies including UNFCCC and UNCBD. He’s also a part of the Bangladesh climate negotiation team. He served as Chair of UN Kyoto Protocol Joint Implementation Committee and was a member of UN Climate Adaptation Committee as a nominee of the developing countries.

Is the criticism of ESG well-founded or political posturing? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Professor Ioannis Ioannou, London Business School, about what is at stake in the backlash to ESG, how to think about the factors driving its politicisation, and why we need to work harder towards finding ways to turn down the heat in this increasingly partisan debate.Prof. Ioannis IoannouIoannis Ioannou is a professor at London Business School, and strategy scholar whose research focuses on Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. He consults on and researches how environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) strategies are adopted, embedded and successfully implemented by organizations globally. His work has been published in top academic journals, including the Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science and the Journal of International Business Studies. He is the co-Chair of the Sustainability Advisory Panel of Merck KGaA and a member of the ESG Advisory Board of the DWS Group. Ioannis also recently served on the Stakeholder Working Group of the UK Treasury's Asset Management Taskforce.

How are multilateral institutions like the IMF helping close the gender gap? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Dr. Ratna Sahay, IMF Senior Advisor on Gender, about what’s at stake when we talk about gender disparities, how the IMF’s first Strategy Toward Mainstreaming Gender advances this effort and why it’s vital that we focus on the multiplier effects to drive great, more inclusive economic growth.Dr. Ratna Sahay is Senior Advisor on Gender in the Office of the Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund. She is responsible for mainstreaming gender in the Fund's core activities-surveillance, programs, and capacity development. Prior to this role, she was a Deputy Director in the Monetary and Capital Markets Department. She has worked in several regional departments in the IMF and has previously served as Advisor to Stanley Fischer (First Deputy Managing Director) and Michael Mussa and Kenneth Rogoff (both Economic Counselors at the IMF).