Thursday, September 17th, 2020

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that annual investment of $2.4 trillion is needed in the energy system alone by 2035 to limit temperature rise to below 1.5 °C from pre-industrial levels, while the impacts of even a 1.5 °C world could cause $54 trillion in economic damages by the end of this century. As a result, climate change poses substantial threats and opportunities to global financial markets, leading to increasing calls for widespread disclosure of climate-related risks and opportunities.

Climate-related disclosure frameworks, such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), are emerging as best practice for companies and investors to disclose how they are managing their climate-related risks and opportunities and integrating them into their businesses and investment decisions. Over 375 financial firms, responsible for $118 trillion in assets, have publicly supported the TCFD, while industry-led bodies such as the Principles for Responsible Investment, CDP, and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board are working to align their reporting standards with the framework. 

Join Mantle314’s climate disclosure experts Laura Zizzo, Joy Williams, and Jeff Horlor for a discussion on understanding the TCFD framework and how it impacts endowments and other asset owners. The session will include an introductory presentation, followed by breakout group discussions and Q&A.

Recording

Resources from Mantle314:

• Your investment manager is a PRI signatory, but do they understand climate change?
• Climate transition increasing risks for unprepared investors
• Mantle314 Newsletter

Speakers

 Laura Zizzo, Co-Founder and CEO of Mantle314

Laura Zizzo is a lawyer and strategic advisor with over a decade of experience leading organizations towards a low-carbon and climate-adapted future through the application of law and policy. Laura started her legal career with a prominent Bay Street law firm before founding the first law firm in Canada focused on climate change in 2009. In 2015 she founded a strategic consultancy to advise clients on identification, management, and disclosure of climate risks and opportunities. Mantle314 (formerly Zizzo Strategy) works with some of Canada’s largest companies, including financial institutions, real estate firms, and utilities on climate-related issues. 

She is a frequent writer and speaker on the move to the low-carbon economy and has become a leading voice on the legal imperative to adapt to climate change. Laura has contributed to numerous research and policy papers on legal liability related to climate change adaptation, the use of existing legal mechanisms to address climate change, and the role of markets and flexibility mechanisms in driving emissions reductions.

Joy Williams, Senior Advisor

Joy Williams brings a multi-disciplinary approach to climate change and other environmental, social, and governance issues. She made the move from traditional engineering to environmental and climate change issues over 15 years ago and has
since worked in government, policy, management and strategic consulting, and the financial industry. Joy's approach to the complexity of these topics is to focus on what is relevant to her client's strategy and provide pragmatic advice to support their
growth.

Most recently, Joy applied all her previous experience establishing the responsible investing framework and acting as the in-house climate change subject matter expert at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Working across asset classes including private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and public equities, she helped to integrate environmental, social, and governance practices in investment teams. A large part of her role focused on educating the organization on climate change and helping to
develop a corporate response.

She has also been the chair for the Decarbonization Advisory Panel for the $209.1 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund on how to best mitigate investment risks stemming from climate change and maximize opportunities from the new, low-carbon economy.

Joy is a Professional Engineer of Ontario and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.

Jeff Horlor, Advisor

Jeff works with investment teams helping them prepare for the shift to a low-carbon economy by integrating climate-related risks and opportunities into their business operations, strategy, risk management and corporate disclosures.

After graduating from Dalhousie University’s Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) co-op program, where he majored in finance, Jeff started his career in hedge fund administration working as an Operations Analyst helping clients with enhanced fund accounting and reporting in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

Prior to joining Mantle314, Jeff worked at Responsible Investor, a UK-based financial news company focused on sustainable finance and investment, where he managed client relationships and assisted some of the world’s largest asset managers, index and research providers in marketing their ESG and sustainable investing strategies.