Financial Experts Examine Investment Strategies amid Climate Change and Challenges In Food Security

For Immediate Release
PRESS RELEASE

Financial Experts Examine Investment Strategies amid Climate Change and Challenges In Food Security

Jan 14, 2020, HK: Co-organized by China Daily and the Asian Financial Forum, a panel discussion session, themed “Rewriting the Investment Strategy: Climate Change and Food Security”, was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday, Jan 14, 2020. The event attracted more than 200 investors, corporate heads and professionals from financial institutions across Asia.

Climate change has emerged as the world’s most pressing issue in recent years. According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2015-2019 is set to be the warmest five-year period in recorded history. The burning of the Amazon rain forest and the bushfires raging in Australia have drawn international attention as well.

Climate change is also threatening food security in terms of food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food systems stability. The International Food Policy Research Institute forecasts that, by 2050, prices of rice will increase by 32 to 37 percent as a result of climate change, while yields will fall between 10 and 15 percent.

For responsible investors, the realities of climate change and the challenges in food security have become important considerations in risk management strategies, as well as informing broader investment themes.

Five experienced, knowledgeable professionals joined the forum. They were Ms. Natalie Chan, Senior Advisor, Civic Exchange; Dr. Kevin Chen, Chair Professor, Zhejiang University; Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute; Mr. Vivek Pathak, Regional Director, East Asia and the Pacific, International Finance Corporation; Ms. Xiaofei Guo, Director of Green and Sustainable Finance, Corporate and Investment Banking, Asia Pacific Natixis; and Ms. Hannah Routh, Partner, Sustainability and Climate Change Advisory Leader, Deloitte China. They shared their views on how climate change and food security considerations are driving investment strategies and taking investment decisions forward.

Ms. Chan hoped that investors will see for themselves that the process of system change is not just a player and an actor, but also a driver to help our society move towards a climate-ready and food secure society.

Dr. Chen said private funding is the key factor if we were to meet the sustainable development goal and make people free from hunger.

Mr. Pathak said as people become richer and the population goes up, the soil and water resources we have are limited. He believes we need to recognize there’s a problem if we intend to tackle the issue.

Ms. Guo urged financial institutions to play a key role in the transition towards a low-carbon economy. From the investor side, they are constantly integrating environmental, social, and governance indicators into investment strategies.

Ms. Routh said the challenge for the business community regarding climate action is that the whole ecosystem must move as one. It’s easy enough to point the finger at one party, whether it’s the government, regulators, rating agencies or corporates, but what is needed is to have the entire ecosystem identify what their responsibilities are with respect to each other in order to move forward together.

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