Programme

In this session, early movers in the international carbon markets will discuss the challenges and opportunities for mobilizing carbon finance to enhance climate action in Asia and the Pacific. Representatives from Asian Development Bank’s developing member countries and development partners will share insights and plans on leveraging carbon market mechanisms under Article 6 to enhance climate action, as part of their national strategies to achieve Paris Agreement goals. 

Join Ted Persson from EQT Ventures together with leading voices, for an interactive networking event where we deep-dive in technologies that can help solve the climate crisis and how investors and policymakers can help fast-track their journey to scale.
To register for the event, please RSVP to sophia.sahin@eqtpartners.com by November 13th. Please note that EQT cannot offer accreditation to access the Blue Zone venue.

The electrification of transport, heating and industrial processes, combined with the massive influx of renewables is transforming the power system. Not only is more grid capacity required, but this evolution is also increasing complexity across the system. From managing the variability of renewable generation to handling new types of load such as electric vehicles or data centres, the power system needs more flexibility. Source of flexibility include supply and demand as well as storage, active grids and interconnectors. However, the application and integration of these solution will be unique depending on the market.  Additionally, the scaling of digital technologies and power electronics can further enhance the ability of the power grid to make cost-effective use of flexibility sources, but also introduces higher degrees of complexity. Panellists at this discussion will explore strategies and technological solutions to address the grid complexity challenge.

To combat the climate crisis and avoid the most severe impacts of climate change, 107 countries responsible for approximately 82% of global greenhouse gas emissions, have now adopted net-zero pledges. As part of this drive for net zero, it is increasingly acknowledged that a secure, resilient clean energy technology supply chain will be critical in harnessing emissions outcomes and capturing the economic opportunity inherent in the energy sector transition. However, supply chains are coming under increasing pressure across the globe, particularly for equipment such as HVDC related products, transformers and switchgear. The IEA estimates that USD $1.2 trillion of cumulative investment would be required to bring enough manufacturing capacity online by 2030 for the world to stay on track to meet its climate and energy goals. We also need to ensure adequate skills to execute the ambitious energy transition plans and targets we have set ourselves. Panelists at this session will share opportunities and challenges across stakeholder groups, to alleviate grid supply chain bottlenecks, addressing key areas like planning, financing, business models, and standardization. 

Transforming our food systems is high on the climate agenda. At COP28, more than $2.5 billion was pledged by the global community to support the food-climate agenda, and over 130 world leaders endorsed the declaration on food and agriculture. However, the global community faces the challenge of reaching the last mile; ie. the small-hold food producers. This interactive session aims to take the food system agenda beyond discussions to a proven and scalable model based on building resilience and creating socio-economic value for every actor in the value chain, starting with the last mile; ie. The small-hold farmer. 

Where does the global energy transition stand today? In light of COP28’s outcomes, this panel will assess our progress and identify critical implementation gaps. Key goals include tripling renewable energy capacity, phasing down coal, doubling energy efficiency, and advancing low-emission technologies. AFRY’s Fossil Detox Report reveals that 80% of our energy system can be decarbonized with existing technology, and this panel will explore the enablers needed to close implementation gaps and accelerate our progress toward climate targets.

Carbon pricing is essential for enabling the long-term transformation of our societies - and soon a requirement for certain industries to be able to trade with the European union.  This event will explore how increasing the number of emissions priced globally can create a case to phase out fossil fuels, make climate solutions more attractive and in a relatively short timeframe enable more economies to trade with Europe as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is phased in over the coming years. It will also highlight the challenges – and opportunities – that carbon pricing may have on the business sector in emerging economies.  The seminar will gather policymakers and business organisations and serve as a collaborative platform to discuss necessary partnerships ahead to support the implementation of carbon pricing mechanisms.

COP29 in Baku has been named the “finance COP” as it provides an opportunity for parties to align climate finance contributions with global needs. While climate finance serves as a crucial foundation to reach the Paris Agreement objectives, it is clear that climate finance alone will not be enough to close the financing gap. In this context, carbon markets and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement have an important role to play in mobilizing additional finance for increased climate ambition as well as accelerated achievement towards the sustainable development goals. This side-event will gather representatives from governments and multilateral organizations that have started implementing Article 6 carbon markets to share their views on the important role carbon finance can play in closing the finance gap.

Phosphorus is essential for feeding the growing global population and is increasingly critical for LFP battery production. Currently, phosphorus for fertilisers and batteries relies on virgin mining, with major producers being China, Morocco/Western Sahara, and Russia, but by 2100, the world may depend almost solely on Morocco/Western Sahara. Urban flows contain significant phosphorus that, if not managed, can harm marine ecosystems, but existing technologies can recover phosphorus from sources like sewage sludge, creating a circular value chain.

Discover how data can power decarbonization in fashion’s supply chains, with solutions already available today. Industry experts will explore the current state of Scope 3 emissions, innovative data-driven initiatives, and the trillion-dollar investment opportunity needed to scale these efforts. Learn how fashion can draw insights from other industries, overcome scaling barriers, and leverage data and financing to accelerate its journey to net-zero. This is a must-attend session for those committed to sustainable fashion and effective climate action.

With climate change accelerating, it has never been more important to focus on solutions that can mitigate CO2 emissions. Steel production contributes to around 7-9% of the global CO2 emissions, heavy-duty vehicle road transport corresponds to around 5%, and the potential for energy efficiency solutions is significant. The industry needs to shift towards sustainable solutions to stay competitive, but no company can do this alone. The whole ecosystem needs to transform. One key element to be successful is close cooperation with customers down the value chain, and there is customer demand.
In this seminar, we will discuss how customer demand can drive innovation and investments, and what prerequisites, such as standards, might be needed.

We need to integrate massive amounts of renewables led by wind and solar into the power grid, simultaneously addressing energy security and helping to accelerate the much-needed energy transition. Interconnectors will play a key role in facilitating the penetration of these renewables, while also driving cross border collaboration across countries and regions. Some markets, such as the EU, are aiming for a 15% electricity interconnection target by 2030 and many other regions such as Asia, North America and the Middle East are also expediting the development of interconnectors.  This session will explore the opportunities and challenges of integrating renewables and developing interconnectors at speed and scale from a power grid perspective.

This panel will dive into the findings in the newly published paper “Durable Carbon Removal & Corporate Claims in the Era of Article 6” written by Oxford Sustainable Finance Group in collaboration with AFRY and Nasdaq. The panel will delve into the important question of corresponding adjustments - a corresponding adjustment is a mechanism to avoid double counting when countries trade carbon credits between each other under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Financing and investments to double the rate of energy efficiency implementation by 2030 success factors, challenges and actions needed now.Doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvements could yield greater emissions reductions by 2030 than any other measure. However, this goal remains far from attainable under current policy frameworks. According to IEA analysis, advancing energy efficiency is a crucial step toward limiting global warming to 1.5°C by mid-century. Reaching this target requires enhancing the global economy's energy efficiency by over 4% annually, on average, by 2030. Nevertheless, IEA data indicate that the annual improvement rate slowed from 2% to just over 1% in 2023.A large proportion of the investments in energy efficiency improvements will be private funding. How can industry and private sector contribute to unlocking the finance?This session will be divided into three sub-sessions. 

Over the past 15 years, the E5P has been successful in mobilising significant donor resources from the EU and 24 donor countries. The E5P was proposed by Sweden as part of their EU Presidency in 2009. Since then, the E5P has helped to finance over 50 climate mitigation projects.The E5P projects focus on green municipal infrastructure and range from energy efficiency in public buildings, modernisation of district heating systems, water and wastewater treatment, street lighting, public transport and solid waste management.

Much of the technology and the needed innovation is in place, we can decarbonise many sectors already today. So, what is standing in the way? This session will look into how innovation can be a tool for scaling and deploying existing technology faster. What lessons can we learn from scale up technologies? How can we speed up the process for deploying crucial technology such as CCS? How can business models speed up the scale up?

Only 11 per cent of the world’s treated wastewater is reused, and half of the untreated wastewater enters natural water bodies, posing significant health and environmental threats. Sustainable wastewater management can recover energy and nutrients, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide alternative water and energy sources. Despite its potential, only 32 of 195 NDCs recognise wastewater treatment as a mitigation measure, highlighting a missed opportunity in global climate strategies.

The backbone of the energy transition is the grid, while storage adds essential flexibility. By enhancing both, we can create a resilient, decarbonized, and cost-effective energy system that benefits society as a whole. By investing in modern infrastructure, we ensure that everyone can enjoy the advantages of a clean and reliable energy supply (and that we achieve global net-zero emissions by 2050).

We have five more years to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals and while progress has been made, there’s a great need to accelerate change in the years to come. Ensuring that no one is left behind in the transition to a low-carbon economy is a key consideration for safeguarding future prosperity.  Join EQT for a session where we take the temperature of our collective progress on the SDGs and discuss the role of the private sector in driving a just transition, and how learnings from the digital transition can be leveraged to accelerate the journey towards net zero.