Climate Risk and Beyond

Thursday, Sep 12 2024

13.15 Welcome & Introduction

13.20 Session 1: Introduction to Climate Risk

Arnaud Gousebaile, ETH Zurich
About: The lecture will provide a general introduction to the issue of climate change covering perspectives and vocabulary from both the academic and corporate worlds. We will begin by introducing the anthropogenic causes, physical mechanisms, and economic consequences of climate change. Following this, we will discuss the crucial concepts of climate change mitigation and adaptation. In relation to these concepts, we will explore the notions of climate risks and opportunitie as they are developed in corporate frameworks and regulations. We will then focus on possible aggregate scenarios for the future of our society, particularly the academic scenarios compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Additionally, we will discuss and connect these with the scenarios developed by the Network for Greening the Financial System, which are more commonly used in the corporate world.

14.45 (Break)

15.00 Session 2: Climate Risk Analytics

Sebastian Glink, Climada
About: Introduction into climate risk modelling, Demo delta-climate platform with concrete use case,

Case 1: Hands on session using open source model

Wrap up discussion

18.00 Closing
 

Friday, Sep 13 2024

09.15 Session 3: Treating Uncertainty in Modeling Climate-Related Financial Risk

Knut Norheim Kjear, Founding CEO of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund

About: There is no doubt that carbon emissions are causing global warming – the scientific evidence is unequivocal. But we don’t know how rising temperature may impact on the climate system in itself through self-sustaining and irreversible mechanism. Thus the overall economic and financial impact of climate change is uncertain. In this lecture professor Knut N. Kjaer will present the models that are commonly used to quantify the interplay between nature and economic systems and discuss how uncertainty is treated in the models. He will also discuss the relevance of the models used by companies and investors to quantify the economic and financial risk of global warming.

10.15 (Break)

10.45 Case 2 & Q&A Part with Knut Kjaer

11.45 Closing

(14.00-18.00 ETH Risk Day with Knut Kjaer and other Speakers)
 

Thursday, Sep 26, 2024

9.15 Session 4: Foundations of ESG and Materiality Assessment

Benjamin Huber, Zuger Kantonalbank

About: This lecture offers an overview of key concepts in corporate sustainability and the drivers of sustainable development. Drawing on international reporting standards, we introduce the concept of double materiality and the process for identifying actual and potential impacts, risks, and opportunities. Participants will engage in climate materiality assessments for various industries as a practical case study.

11.00 Case 3: Climate Strategy: Based on climate materiality assessment, participants will develop climate strategies. 

12.00 (Lunch-Break)

13.00 Session 5: Measuring and Disclosing Nature-Related Risks and Opportunities

Renata Pollini, Holcim & Oliver Schelske, SwissRe
About: This lecture offers an overview of how companies could potentially assess their nature impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities. We will introduce the concept of biodiversity and ecosystem services, physical and transitional risks and how these can be integrated into a comprehensive nature risk-based model. A nature-related risk and opportunity assessment conducted by a company will be detailed and used as an example.

14.00 Case 4: Nature-Related Risk and Opportunity Assessment: Participants will work in small groups (1) to create criteria on how to analyze the robustness of a company’s nature related risk and opportunities assessment, (2) to conduct a gap analysis on companies already reporting on nature issues. 

15.00 (Break)

15.30 Session 6: Overview of the EU and Swiss Regulatory Landscape

Katja Brunner, Swiss Sustainable Finance 
About: Introduction of SSF, Overview of the development of Sustainable Finance Regulation in Switzerland and the EU, focusing on the big picture (e.g. EU: CSRD/SFRD/Taxonomy/CSDDD, CH: Code of Obligations, Climate and Innovation Act, FINMA-guidance and circulars; international standards. TCFD, TNFD, ISSB). Basics to understand the regulatory approach, drivers and challenges in both jurisdictions.

16.30 Input by Josef Teichmann, ETH Zurich: Climate Risk Modelling via AI powered Asset Liability Management

17.30 Closing
 

Friday, Sep 27, 2024

9.15 Session 7: Climate & Finance

Sasha Cisar, Radicant
About: The presentation reflects on the climate emergency and how sustainable finance can be a possible solution contributing to climate change mitigation and closing the climate finance gap. The presentation will also highlight developments around regulation of sustainability and sustainable finance, as well as classification of sustainable investments in Switzerland and the EU. It will also share some insights and the approach to sustainable investing from radicant bank.

10.45 (Break)

11.00 Case 5: (tba)

12.00 (Lunch-Break)

13.00 Session 8: Greenwashing on Company and Product Level

Franszika Gumpfer and Benedikt Gratzl, Taktkomm
About: The criteria that constitute "sustainable" products and services are not precisely defined in many countries and industries. This creates scope for disinformation and potential for misunderstandings. This is what so-called "greenwashing" is all about. We will explore the question of where the pitfalls of defining sustainable products and services intermingle with the pitfalls of communication. We will show what lessons need to be learnt in order to recognise and avoid greenwashing.

14.30 Session 9: Sustainability and Climate in a Global, Diversified Portfolio

Daniel Wild, Chief Sustainability Officer, Bank J. Safra Sarasin
About: Private and institutional investors increasingly require sustainability characteristics of their portfolio alongside attractive financial returns. However, personal preferences vary a lot and conflicting objectives are rather the rule than the exception. How to square the circle? We will explore how sustainability can be embedded in a comprehensive investment approach, test the usefulness of regulation, discuss practical examples and illustratively address the conundrum of strategic minerals in the context of energy transition.

16.00 Session 10: Environmental Sustainability in the Banking Sector

About: Regula Hess and Dominik Rothmund, WWF
The lecture provides a framework how to assess the environmental sustainability of a retail bank with a focus on corporate governance, asset and wealth management and lending (corporate loans and mortgages). Good practices mostly from the Swiss banking sector will be used to illustrate the framework.

17.30 Closing
 

Friday, Oct 4, 2024

9.15 Session 11: Google's Transition to a more Sustainable Future through Information and Innovation

Kris Pawluk, Google Switzerland
About: The talk will elaborate on how information leverages products, platforms, and partnerships to empower individuals, organizations, and governments to make sustainable choices and reduce emissions.

10.30 (Break)

10.45 Session 12: Unveiling Opportunities in Green Fintech 

Gerrit Sindermann, Green Fintech Network
Startup Session 1: 
- external page Climada, Simone Thompson, CEO & Co - founder
- external page Nala, Nicolas Somogyiu, CPO & Co-founder
- external page Xilva, Tim Duehrkoop, CEO & Co-founder 

12.15 (Lunch Break)

13.00 Session 13: Promoting Innovation from Business to Business 

Vincent Eckert, Swiss Climate Foundation
About: The Swiss Climate Foundation provides grants for the development of climate relevant products and solutions from SMEs from Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It helps incorporated SMEs to further develop their product in order to attract venture capital and perform scaling. The session will also touch the challenge of additionality of founding, the methods of assessment and the cooperation with financing partner as well as with academia.

Startup Session 2: 
- external page Neustark, Luca Tschurtschenthaler, Head R&D
- external page Caterra, Aurel Neff, Co-founder

14.30 (Break)

14.45 Case 6: The Power of Storytelling: How to Create a Compelling Pitch

Stefan Huber, Innosuisse Coach
About: In this case, Stefan will show you how to create a compelling pitch and use storytelling methods such as the hero's journey to convince stakeholders internally and externally.  

16.15 Closing