London Climate Action Week (LCAW) is taking place on 14th-20th November. The week will showcase a series of events highlighting how London’s politicians, businesses and civil society can turn climate pledges and promises into action, particularly with COP26 set one year from now.
The week explores four themes; (i) A green, fair and resilient recovery, (ii) the roadmap to COP26, (iii) a sustainable and net-zero London and (iv) the whole of society climate mobilisation.
In our third interview for the LCAW Interview Series, Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas, Chief Executive of the Green Finance Institute explores the green, fair and resilient recovery theme.
Interview
Question: What sets London Climate Action Week apart from other climate events?
Rhian-Mari Thomas:
Tackling the climate emergency requires collaboration and the sharing of knowledge, ideas and best practice on a city, national and international level.
London Climate Action Week is an important forum for bringing together organisations from across the capital’s major sectors, providing a platform for local initiatives to catalyse systemic change across London and beyond.
Question: What is the significance of your theme in contributing to the aim of LCAW?
Rhian-Mari Thomas:
As a critical enabler across the UK economy and a leading industry in the city, finance is at the heart of the net zero transition and again this year it has a strong presence during LCAW.
Now more than ever, the finance sector is recognising the role it has to play in creating and mainstreaming the individual products, services and models which will form the pathway for London to move towards being a sustainable city, providing the channel for large sources of capital to invest in green activities.
By convening action-focussed, cross-sector coalitions, the Green Finance Institute is able to identify systemic barriers to accelerating investment into decarbonising our economy, and collaboratively develop solutions to help overcome these barriers. Through our Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings, we are actively delivering a portfolio of demonstration projects, the most advanced of which we look forward to discussing at our LCAW joint event with the NLA on 17 November.
Question: What are you most looking forward to for your theme during LCAW 2020?
Rhian-Mari Thomas:
It’s great to see that London Climate Action Week has become a regular fixture on the capital’s calendar.
We are looking forward to a light being shone on some of the ways finance is helping shape the net zero transition across key sectors, and, particularly now, how it can lead the conversation around a green recovery that benefits people and planet. The digital nature of the Week this year will hopefully also widen its viewership, both to organisations and the citizens of London.
Join London Climate Action Week and take part in over 150 events throughout the week.
Find out more on the LCAW events page, sign up and get involved.
