Forum Program

A Tale of Time Frames: Opportunities and Challenges in the CCUS Ecosystem

Energy Transformation

Major international bodies, including the IEA and IPCC, acknowledge much of the world will not be able to meet their emissions reduction targets without carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). These technologies are often seen as a stepping-stone in the path to decarbonization. Extrapolating the role of CCUS over the upcoming several decades, this dialogue will answer challenging questions in this dynamic space:

What's in the CCUS pipeline in Canada and abroad in between now and 2030?
Who should be doing what to facilitate advancement and uptake of the technologies once they are viable at large scale?
Looking beyond, what are the long-term challenges (technical, market, financing) for CCUS technologies in an increasingly decarbonized world?

Checking In: Progress and Prospects on the TCFD Recommendations

Climate Crisis
Sustainability as Strategy
Mobilizing Capital

In light of the FSB Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) efforts, we explore how these recommendations have impacted corporate performance in disclosing climate risks and setting forward-looking targets. This enlivened debate will bring together asset owners and corporate players to share perspectives on implementing TCFD recommendations in a quest to turn the dial on increased transparency.

What successes, failures, and barriers are we seeing from TCFD recommendation integration across industries?
Where and why are there gaps between the recommendations and what we are witnessing on the ground from finance and industry?
Is disclosure driving industry to prioritize projects and investments that have lower climate risk?
Given corporate tendency to adhere to selective TCFD parameters, is increased commitment to guidelines the answer or are alternate measures and regulatory reform required to ensure companies set and disclose comprehensive, long-term climate targets?
Will uptake facilitate the necessary changes to ensure we stay below 2 degrees?

Circularity and Plastics: Collaborating Across the Value Chain

Circular Economy

Achieving a circular plastics economy in Canada – wherein plastics never become waste – requires strong dialogue, commitment, action, and innovation across the packaging value chain. This workshop will bring together key stakeholders from upstream manufacturers and producers to downstream brands, retailers and consumers, alongside government, NGOs and academia to tackle important questions, including:

What are the largest barriers plaguing actors across the value chain and how can these be overcome?
What are the most promising alternatives to single-use plastic out there and how can these be fostered?
What is the role of government (of all levels) and how will the federally-proposed single-use plastic ban impact direction in Canada?

Closing the Loop with Circular Cities

Circular Economy

As powerful engines of innovation and economic growth, cities present a clear opportunity to accelerate circular economy adoption and unlock a suite of accompanying benefits. Step up your city’s circular game alongside international innovators who are uprooting linear urban models for indisputable gains in transport, building, ecosystem restoration, and beyond. Learn:

As urbanization continues to grow, how is technological innovation reviving our cities and shaping the way we live?
What encouraging examples are we seeing across the globe from cities transitioning toward smarter and more sustainable urban solutions?
How can private and public stakeholders collaborate and what are the barriers for integrated action amongst industry and solution providers to ensure cities are safer, more sustainable and better connected?

ESG Today and Tomorrow: Overcoming Challenges and Preparing for What’s Next

Sustainability as Strategy
Mobilizing Capital

Standardized and accurate ESG reporting is the currency investors are using to inform their decision making. However, many corporates release ESG information that is immaterial, unorganized, and developed using different reporting frameworks. To combat this confusion, investors are starting to develop proprietary models to evaluate ESG information. Challenges remain rife, but there is clear proof that companies that disclose performance metrics on their material ESG issues are the ones generating the greatest returns. So what are the opportunities for you? Join us to workshop these issues from both corporate and investor angles and get the answers you need regarding:

How can companies best engage investors directly in order to own the information that is going out to the marketplace about them?
Are investors getting what they need from corporations?
How does ESG integration lead to better financial performance?

Heavy Industry: Doubling Down on Climate Friendly Investments

Climate Crisis
Energy Transformation
Mobilizing Capital

As the world hastens to address GHG emissions contributing to our perilous climate crisis, investment flows will continue to be a focus of considerable attention. While clean energy and autonomous vehicles are capturing much of the attention, there is a substantial role for heavy industry to play as investment in this sector will have a sizeable impact. Hear from those at the forefront of climate smart investment regarding the capital flow needed to target these intensive sectors.

What are the factors driving investment and where are these trends heading long term?
Why are investors betting on innovation and scale of adoption and is this approach opportune?
What promising mega innovation projects are drawing attention in this space?

Leadership in a Time of Critical Climate Action

Climate Crisis

The call for global climate action is hitting a critical peak, and 2020 is a crucial year for international climate policy. Ambitious action is needed to meet this call. However, as countries prepare to roll out the Paris Agreement implementation plan they are facing increasing challenges to meet their existing climate commitments. This dynamic session will stage the first major gathering of international climate experts since Chile’s crucial UN deliberations on climate policy to discuss pivotal developments and Canada’s role. Come prepared for big ideas as they discuss these pivotal questions:

What were the critical highlights from COP-25, how are it’s outcomes directly feeding into the first year of Paris Implementation and what does this mean for Canadians?
How close are countries to achieving their current targets and what needs to be adjusted to achieve those in 2030/2050?
Which tools are unlocking greater ambition?
What is Canada’s current role in the international community and what solutions are we bringing to the table?
In the face of growing uncertainty, how do companies manage and seize opportunities?

Mainstreaming Circular Business Models

Circular Economy

Companies large and small are rethinking their business strategies to enable circularity in their supply chains – because it just makes sense. But the road to success is often long, winding and littered with challenges. In this conversation with circular economy business leaders we ask:

What does a corporate commitment to the circular economy really look like and what are innovative organizers in this realm doing to push the envelope? 
Which industries are excelling in closing the loop and what do others need to succeed? 
How can circularity align with customer demand? 
How can challenges, such as adulteration, logistics, traceability and increased costs in the value chain be overcome?

Moving Goods in the Clean Economy: Utilizing Systems Thinking to Reduce Transportation Emissions

Climate Crisis
Sustainability as Strategy
Energy Transformation

Effective, multi-modal and collaborative transportation systems are needed to reduce energy consumption and drive cost savings internationally. However, logistics encompasses a whopping 10% of global CO2 emissions, freight is expected to triple globally by 2050, and the transportation system is simply not optimized for GHG reduction. We need solutions. To spark collaborative action, we ask:

How can our freight transportation system be better optimized to reduce GHG emissions while remaining economic?
What is the role of modal shift vs. making individual modes (e.g. marine, rail, trucking etc.) less GHG intensive, and what might this look like in the future given changing technology and fuel costs?
What are the opportunities and barriers for collaboration between the marine, rail, aviation and trucking sectors?
What innovations and solutions are helping key stakeholders reduce emissions despite these barriers?

Scaling the Blue Economy: Ocean Project Financing

Mobilizing Capital

According to the OECD, the ocean economy is valued at over 1.5 trillion USD per year, making it one of the world's largest economies. The 'blue economy' is of growing importance to policymakers, corporate leaders and civil society across the globe but financing flows for projects aimed at preserving our waters for future generations remain low compared to those for land-based preservation. To address this divide, we bring experts to GLOBE 2020 to discuss:

What examples exist that point to innovative financing mechanisms and best practices for the blue economy?
Who are the key players and what role do their respective financing mechanisms play in the ocean ecosystem?
What unique risks are present in the financing of ocean-related projects?
What barriers exist to capital deployment and scaling and how might these be overcome?

SDGs Driving Corporate Purpose and Performance

Sustainability as Strategy

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are succeeding in their ambition to engage a wider group of businesses on global sustainable development priorities. Companies large and small are adopting the goals and aligning them with their corporate strategies, purpose and results. This session will feature experienced practitioners sharing how to successfully implement and integrate the SDGs into an organization’s DNA. Hear from leaders in the space as we ask:

How have the SDGs evolved into important business tools?
What frameworks exist to help companies leverage SDG alignment with investors?
What are examples of innovative SDG inspired collaborations between companies and stakeholders?

Social Purpose from the Ground Up: How to Define and Activate Social Purpose in Your Business

Sustainability as Strategy

This dynamic session will put you at the forefront of social purpose in business. In September 2019, 181 members of the US Business Roundtable (BRT) signed a Statement of Purpose endorsing stakeholder-inclusive purpose for corporations, indicating a departure from the shareholder-focused mentality that has dominated the corporate sphere for decades. First, hear from the leadership of major social purpose companies who will share their pivot to purpose, along with their drivers, benefits and challenges.Then, join a hands-on interactive workshop with selected organizations who are designing their social purpose in real-time. Feedback to these businesses as they find their purpose and leave the session with insights on how to advance purpose in your business or with your business partners.

What is a social purpose business and why are businesses pivoting to purpose?
How can leading with purpose provide a platform for increased customer engagement and integration of sustainability as a key element of strategy?
How do business leaders find their purpose and build it into their businesses?
Good, better, best – what are the criteria for a good social purpose?

Step Up or Step Aside: Collaborative Action for our Shared Climate Future

Climate Crisis

‘Step up or step aside.’ In this SPARK Talk, hear from Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash and prepare to leave with collaborative approaches to tackling formidable climate questions. This tenacious activist will inspire you to bridge gaps and give you fresh tools to build strategic partnerships and effectively tackle climate action challenges. You will leave with pathways for challenging apathy as we dig deep into the era of climate crisis.

How can the Canadian community transform at the scale needed to address the climate crisis?
What lessons can be learned from American counterparts?
How can business, government and the public build momentum toward a blueprint for change?

Talking Climate: Why Facts are Not Enough

Climate Crisis

Discover how climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe untangles the complex science connecting our choices today to future impacts. Even though the challenge posed by human-induced climate change has been carefully and methodically summarized by thousands of peer-reviewed studies and decades’ worth of exhaustive international reports, we continue to struggle with communicating climate change.More importantly, communicating the need for both social and political action to combat climate change, remains challenging and divisive. Explore:

How do we communicate climate change effectively given the political rhetoric the public hear, particularly during election cycles?  
How can community support for climate action be translated into support for initiatives that work to meet tangible targets (carbon pricing, etc.)? 
What role do shared values play in this dialogue?

The Circular Economy as an Economic Development Strategy

Circular Economy
Mobilizing Capital

The circular economy is not solely a viable avenue to manage waste; it presents a bold economic paradigm for rethinking how we design, use and reuse our resources to reinvent communities. Accelerating the scale-up promises to generate significant economic gains while delivering social and environmental co-benefits. Stay ahead of the curve as we hear from leading jurisdictions who are shaping their economic development strategies through a shift to circular.

How can organizations enlist restorative and regenerative principles as economic development strategies?
What are the most promising pathways for a circular economy to boost jobs and establish new markets?
How are capital firms progressing in this space and what innovative financing mechanisms can small business capitalize on to advance in the circular economy? 
How are forerunners overcoming barriers surrounding policy, consumer awareness and the like as they forge ahead on resource productivity?

What if? Unpacking Energy Futures and What They Mean for Canada

Climate Crisis
Energy Transformation

Canada's energy future holds an incredible amount of opportunity in the nexus of job creation, climate mitigation and economic growth. Hear from world-leading analysts and forecasters as they unpack assumptions behind the models and show where Canada has the potential to lead the pack.

Why do energy models matter to your work and decision making?
What are the assumptions behind the data that different forecasters are making and how do those impact you?
What is the disconnect between climate science and energy models?
How can we bridge the gap and how can companies address the concerns of consumers?

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