IBM
“ It ’ s very clear that the runway that we all have to address this is shortening ”
ADAM THOMPSON
HEAD OF GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE FINANCE AND ESG , IBM CONSULTING
sustainability commitments , Thompson is optimistic that technology and co-innovation are the accelerators to make those aims a reality . “ When you realise it ’ s only Europe that we might get up to 25 % of renewables by the end of the year , then compared to where we originally started in the early 2000 ’ s we were still in single digits , then there ’ s definitely the ability to transform . Capital , ironically , is not the challenge . The challenge is to put the capital to those projects , which would actually contribute to meaningful change and support for example the achieving Europe ’ s Fit for 55 Target of 40 % renewable energy by 2030 ”.
“ And this isn ’ t just about a tick box exercise ; this is really looking at it holistically by saying to clients , ‘ If you want to invest in wind turbines or if you want to invest in solar power farms , that ’ s great , but you also need to look at some of the other green elements beyond climate and secularity , for example , about societal impact ’ etc .”
Thompson says that having a more transparent landscape regarding the implementation of sustainable finance and ESG will act as a catalyst for greater adoption of practices and that ESG risk ratings require more oversight ref the granularity of good quality primary datasets to ensure all
fintechmagazine . com 61