On the initiative of AmCham’s Sustainability & Innovation Committee and DLA Piper, an online conversation was organized to reflect on the recent 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) which was concluded last week in Dubai. COP28 saw a diverse range of stakeholders take stock of the progress on the Paris Agreement and defined the actions that are needed to bridge the gap, with a main takeaway being to move away from fossil fuels and focus on renewable energy.
During the panel discussion led by Lex Oosterling, Country Managing Partner at DLA Piper, three panelists challenged each other on the workable solutions they see or want to see in their respective sectors: Feike Sijbesma, former CEO of DSM, Monique Donders, Country Manager for Blackrock and Jorian Hamster, Senior Associate at DLA Piper. Panelists discussed how the phasing out fossil fuels, may happen in practice and particularly in the private sector. Panelists emphasized the important role of businesses for the energy transition to be effective. This was discussed from multiple standpoints, including climate finance, risk management and R&D for clean tech.
Panelists left the audience with some important messages:
- Companies are expected to start developing their own climate transition plan. OECD guidelines and other protocols can be used as a guiding force to know and measure business impact.
- While companies have spoken and participated at the COPs it is now time for businesses to act, and possibly participate in future COPs in greater capacity.
- And most importantly, keep the dialogue open!
AmCham cordially thanks the speakers, DLA Piper and the AmCham Sustainability & Innovation Committee for their contributions to this webinar.
View a 15-minute video summary prepared by DLA Piper
