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Session Details

Finance in Focus: Incentivizing Investment in Risk Reduction and Adaptation

3 November 2020

Webinar Format
Dialogue Session

Short Presentations, Extended Q & A

 Ujala Qadir, Climate Bonds. Climate Bonds Initiative

 Dan Oprescu, BC Financial Services Authority. Intro to BCFSA

 Richard Freund, Climate Disclosure Project (CDP). Intro to CPD

 Matt Osler, City of Surrey. Funding the Implementation of Surrey’s Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy

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Description

The session will feature context setting presentation from the panel of subject matter experts, followed by an interactive dialogue, Q and A portion where the audience can contribute and up-vote questions. The panel will share leading thinking/doing regarding the why and how of incentivizing and investing for risk reduction and adaptation in BC (with examples/lessons learned from other geographic areas and globally).

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This session should appeal to anyone who has an interest in building resilience in Southwest BC: engineers, architects, planners, developers, builders, code officials, financiers, insurers, credit union representatives, etc.. Those with interest in local economic development and building the green/restoration economy would also benefit from attending and contributing to this session. 

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Discussion Questions

  • Is there investor appetite for resilience bonds?

  • What is the market saying about climate risk disclosures? How do investors think about municipal risk disclosure, and how do the banks differ or overlap?

  • What do you think is one ‘big move’ that we can advance or accelerate today to foster the investments needed in risk reduction and adaptation required and desired in working towards a resilient 2050 in BCs Lower Mainland?

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Contributors

With Ujala Qadir (Climate Bonds), Dan Oprescu (BC Financial Services Authority), Richard Freund (Climate Disclosure Project- CDP) and Matt Osler (City of Surrey), Moderated by Puninda Thind (Delphi Group & Global Shapers Community)

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Frequently asked questions

Ujala Qadir, Climate Bonds

Ujala has 16 years of experience working on international development, focusing on climate and disaster risk reduction. She currently supports the Climate Bonds Initiative in the development of science-based green bond standards aimed at shifting economies toward climate compatible and resilient investment. She has also worked in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean to help bridge the gap between science, policy and climate action and to mobilize resources for climate adaptation. She has advised governments, public utilities and NGOs on the development of evidence-based climate policies. She has a BSc in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MA in Climate and Society from Columbia University.



Dan Oprescu, Director of Risk Surveillance, BC Financial Services Authority

Dr. Dan Oprescu is the Director of Risk Surveillance at the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA). BCFSA oversees more than 6,000 businesses in British Columbia and works closely with stakeholde

rs including market participants, the provincial government, consumers and other regulators, with a mandate focused on the stability of the BC financial system.

As the potential disruption and financial implications caused by non-financial risks such as climate, cyber risk and pandemics come to the forefront, the work of his team and that of BCFSA leads to more collaboration with non-traditional partners to financial regulation, such as local governments, academia and non-finance related industries.

Dan is a physicist by training and has many years of experience in the field of financial risk. He and his team are currently working on a project to model financial viability under severe stresses such as the COVID-19 pandemic or a major earthquake in Vancouver.



Matt Osler, Senior Project Engineer, City of Surrey

Matt Osler is a Senior Project Engineer at City of Surrey. He has been leading Surrey’s coastal flood and sea level rise related climate adaptation work for the past six years. He studied Civil Engineering at Queen’s University and completed a Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. He has over 10 years of flood management experience and previously worked in the Canadian Coast Guard before joining the City of Surrey Engineering Department.



Puninda Thind, Sustainability Consultant, Delphi Group

Puninda Thind is driven by the desire to make communities equitable, sustainable and resilient. Puninda is a Sustainability Consultant for the Delphi Group, a Canadian strategic consultancy providing solutions in the areas of climate change and corporate sustainability. She works with clients to advance development and implementation of sustainability strategies and climate risk disclosures. She previously worked in sustainable investing in the commercial real estate investment sector where she led the implementation of portfolio-wide sustainability initiatives focused on climate resilience and corporate sustainability reporting. Puninda holds a Bachelor of Environment and Business from the University of Waterloo. She is also active in her local community as a World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Shaper with the Toronto Hub. Puninda has been recognized as one of Canada’s top 30 under 30 sustainability leaders by Corporate Knights, and as a Clean50 honouree for her contribution to the advancement of climate action.



Richard Freund, Sustainable Infrastructure Manager, Climate Disclosure Project (CDP)

Richard Freund covers sustainable infrastructure and municipal finance on CDP North America’s Capital Markets team. In this role, he oversees engagement with a range of global investors, underwriters, credit rating agencies, and other capital markets participants on municipal sustainable infrastructure development and municipal climate risk disclosure. The objective of CDP’s work in the municipal space is to dramatically increase the level of investment in climate-friendly and water-secure urban infrastructure projects that both contribute to the reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen communal resiliency and equity. CDP is a global not-for-profit seeking a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term. CDP focuses the capital markets, corporations, and governments on the key actions necessary to build a truly sustainable economy by measuring and managing their environmental impact.