Events
November 19, 2015International Finance Corporation Auditorium, World Bank Group HQ & Online

Hear from entrepreneurs, policy makers and climate change experts on the impact climate change - and the actions to address it – will have on private sector, industry and country competitiveness.

Climate change has gone from If to When to Now. In the run up to the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 in Paris, there is a growing urgency and implementation of bold new actions at international and local levels.

Climate change — and the actions to address climate change — will have profound consequences for competitiveness at the national, sector and firm levels. Rapidly expanding sectors marked by technological transformation create massive new opportunities for new jobs and investment. At the same time, climate impacts on supply chains, resource costs and operating reliability force industry to operate under dramatically different circumstances that can change relative competitive positioning.

On November 19, 2015, the World Bank Group’s first Green Competitivenessevent will gather private sector, governments and academia to examine more closely the intersection of climate change and competitiveness. Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, will also release a flagship report developed jointly with international partners on the potential to scale low-carbon solutions across borders.

9:30 - 10:00 OPENING REMARKS

Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group
Kirsti Kauppi, Ambassador of Finland to the United States

10:00 - 11:00 KEYNOTE EXCHANGE

Moderator:
Alexios Pantelias, Global Lead for Green Competitiveness, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group

Keynote Speakers:
James Close, Director, Climate Change, World Bank Group
Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO, Arcelik Group
Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute

11:00 - 11:15 Coffee / tea

11:15 - 12:30 SCALING PROVEN LOW-CARBON SOLUTIONS 

GREEN TO SCALE: POTENTIAL OF SCALING UP PROVEN LOW-CARBON SOLUTIONS
Launch of a publication by the Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra
To achieve full global impact, novel yet proven climate solutions must be applied in suitable countries around the world. This new report demonstrates how scaling up twenty successful low carbon solutions by transferring them to comparable countries could take the world nearly halfway to our climate goal.

Moderator:
Jonathan Coony, Global Lead for Green Competitiveness, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group

Presenters:
Mari Pantsar, Director, Resource-wise and carbon-neutral society, Sitra
Oras Tynkkynen, Senior Advisor, Sitra

Discussants
Russel Sturm, Head, Clean Energy & Resource Efficiency Group, International Finance Corporation
Carter Brandon, Lead Economist, Environment Global Practice, World Bank Group

12:30 - 14:00 Lunch

14:00 - 15:30 PROMOTING CLIMATE EFFICIENT INDUSTRIES
Industries are responsible for not only a larger share of carbon emissions, but also the potential negative impacts of climate change. Once we understand this dynamic, we can champion policies and industry practices that promote more climate efficient industries.

Moderator:
Ceci Sager
, Practice Manager, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group

Panelists: 
Rula Madanat
, Director, Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization
Gina Hall, Investment Director, Carbon Trust
Nikos Kavakiotis, Head of Sustainability & Energy Management UK / Siemens BuildingTechnologies
Eric Gibbs, Senior Director, CLASP

15:30 - 15:45 Coffee / tea

15:45 - 17:15 SCALING GREEN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
The business opportunities for sectors arising from climate change are immense, and cover both mitigation (such as clean energy) and adaptation (such as water management). This session examines efforts to build climate-friendly industries, particularly how developing countries can be proactively involved.

Moderator: 
Ganesh Rasagam, 
Practice Manager, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, World Bank Group

Panelists: 
Araceli Fernandez-Pales
, Senior Energy Technology Officer, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Obaid Amrane, Board Member, Morocco Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN)
Joanna Lewis, Professor of Science, Technology and International Affairs, Georgetown University
Ruth Potopsingh, Associate Vice President, Sustainable Energy and Innovation Institute

17:15 - 17:30 WRAP-UP AND CLOSING REMARKS

Anita George, Senior Director for the Energy & Extractives Global Practice, World Bank Group
Klaus Tilmes, Director, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group

17:30 - Reception

  • Hakan Bulgurlu

    CEO, Arçelik
  • James Close

    Director, Climate Change, World Bank Group
  • Anabel González

    Senior Director, Trade & Competitiveness, World Bank Group
  • Kirsti Kauppi

    Ambassador of Finland to the United States
  • Andrew Steer

    President and CEO, World Resources Institute
  • Alexios Pantelias

    Global Lead for Green Competitiveness, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group
  • Jonathan Coony

    Global Lead for Green Competitiveness, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group
  • Mari Pantsar

    Director, Resource-wise and carbon-neutral society, Sitra
  • Oras Tynkkynen

    Senior Advisor, Sitra
  • Russel Sturm

    Head, Clean Energy & Resource Efficiency Group, International Finance Corporation
  • Carter J. Brandon

    Lead Economist, Environment Global Practice, World Bank Group
  • Cecilia Sager

    Practice Manager, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group
  • Rula Madanat

    Director, Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization
  • Gina Hall

    Investment Director, Carbon Trust
  • Nikos Kavakiotis

    Head of Sustainability & Energy Management UK / Siemens BuildingTechnologies
  • Eric Gibbs

    Senior Director, CLASP
  • Ganesh Rasagam

    Practice Manager, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, World Bank Group
  • Obaid Amrane

    Board Member, Morocco Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN)
  • Araceli Fernandez-Pales

    Senior Energy Technology Officer, International Energy Agency (IEA)
  • Joanna Lewis

    Professor of Science, Technology and International Affairs, Georgetown University
  • Ruth Potopsingh

    Associate Vice President, Sustainable Energy and Innovation Institute
  • Anita George

    Senior Director for the Energy & Extractives Global Practice, World Bank Group
  • Klaus Tilmes

    Director, Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank Group
DETAILS
  • Date: Thursday, November 19, 2015
  • TIME: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. (ET) / 14:00 - 17:30 (GMT) or convert time



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Welcome