How Can Banks Reduce their Financed Emissions?

Financial institutions make a substantial contribution to climate change due to their financing of high-emitting sectors.  Banks can play a unique role in accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy and meeting global climate goals.  However, the pathway to get there is not well understood.  Our expert panel is building the way by connecting climate science, financial solutions, and strategic engagements.  Join us for a forward-thinking conversation as our panelists explain how their teams are managing their financed emissions and the steps they are taking to reduce them.  Get their insights on existing methodologies, evaluating additionality, and the policy context around these complex and emerging financing solutions.

Discussion Topics:

• How banks implement existing methodologies to build their financed emissions reduction strategies
• The risks associated with financing high-emitting sectors and opportunities for reducing that exposure through financing solutions
• The balance between divestment and engagement, as well as the pros and cons of each
• Innovative lending strategies and practices to align financing activities with net-zero commitments

About our Speakers:

Cary Krosinsky is a leading educator, author and advisor in numerous capacities. He teaches popular courses at Yale, Brown and NYU, and his books on sustainable innovation and finance are considered seminal.  His most recent, 7th book, Modern China, calls for more cooperation for solving sustainability challenges. He is also Sustainability Advisor to DeepGreen Metals which was just successfully merged into a SPAC.

Ivan Frishberg is the Director of Impact Policy for Amalgamated Bank and Amalgamated Charitable Foundation. Ivan leads Amalgamated’s impact work including Amalgamated Bank’s carbon and climate commitments, innovative approaches to measurement of the bank’s social and environmental impact, and engagement initiatives on behalf of shareholders and Amalgamated Bank’s clients. Ivan works as part of the Commercial Banking, CSR and product development teams at Amalgamated Bank.

Gabe Malek is the Investor Influence Coordinator at the Environmental Defense Fund, working with stakeholders across the financial services industry to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by 2050. Gabe was named to the Socially Responsible Investing 30 Under 30 list in 2019 and has contributed to thought leadership on sustainable finance with the UN Environmental Programme, SASB, and the IEN Network, among others. Gabe graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from Yale University.

Nicole Labutong is the North America Lead for the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF), an industry-led initiative that has over 100 global members holding over $27 trillion USD in assets. She supports some of the world’s largest financial institutions in measuring and disclosing their financed GHG emissions. Nicole is also an Associate Director at Guidehouse, a leading global provider of consulting services, where she supports Fortune 500 companies with developing and implementing their sustainability strategies. Nicole holds a M.S. in sustainable systems from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in biology from Boston University.

Moderator: Emma Jenkins is a sustainable finance analyst and a Bard MBA in Sustainability candidate. Emma spent her early career working in education for sustainability, which ultimately inspired her to dedicate her career to propelling a low-carbon economy. While working at CDP North America, she supported financial services companies through their sustainability reporting process. In her current work, she uses ESG analysis to advise clients on how to take ambitious action on climate change. 

ICF Members can pre-register at no cost. Non-Members may join for a $15 registration. Membership is available at levels for $25, $50 and $95, learn more.

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