Who Pays for Low-carbon Solutions? Insights from Industry Experts
Climate change continues to be one of the most pressing issues of our time, demanding urgent and sustained action. To tackle this challenge, global industries are shifting towards low-carbon solutions, a transition that requires significant investment and innovation. But who pays for these solutions?
The World Petrochemical Conference hosted a panel session that brought together industry experts to shed light on this critical topic. The panel featured:
Moderator
Panelists
- Paul Sakrzewski, CEO, Copperleaf®
- Omar Samji, Partner and Head of Energy Innovation, Shearman & Sterling LLP
- Nelson Stratta, Co-Founder, Inflection Finance
We listened to the discussion and distilled it down to five key takeaways:
1. Government Incentives Driving a Global Shift
A global shift is underway. As Omar Samji highlighted during the discussion, the government has a significant role in fostering the transition to low-carbon solutions. Governments worldwide are deploying a variety of policy mechanisms to incentivize decarbonization, including financial subsidies, tax incentives, and grants. These government-led initiatives are helping to reduce the economic hurdles often associated with the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies. Such incentives are stimulating investments in sustainable technology, paving the way for a greener future. This is a significant shift from a few years ago, when such initiatives were largely considered unprofitable or too costly.
2. Decarbonization: Investment Opportunities for Corporations
Various sectors, from maritime to construction, are embracing decarbonization strategies as an investment strategy. As Nelson Stratta pointed out, this is triggering investment in new technologies and financial instruments that can help offset future emissions. In a notable example, a company is transforming plastic waste into construction materials, with investment to address 1.6% of the global plastic problem. This signals an encouraging trend where corporations see value in integrating sustainable practices into their business models.
3. Quantifying the Benefits of Green Technologies
Paul Sakrzewski added another crucial dimension to the conversation: the need to quantify the benefits of green technologies. While it’s true that some of these technologies might seem costly, creating a value framework that measures the financial and non-financial benefits of potential projects on a common economic scale can help shift investment portfolios. By incorporating a “green premium,” the shape of a company’s investment portfolio can change entirely, turning sustainability into a profitable goal rather than a financial burden.
Paul also highlighted that better allocation of current capital could finance some of these future-oriented initiatives. He noted that using a value framework has enabled some organizations to identify investments that have negative value and don’t warrant execution, providing an opportunity for funds to be redirected towards projects with a greener focus.
4. The Value of Greener Commodities
The panel discussion also emphasized the critical role of customers. As Omar Samji suggested, the emergence of a green premium around commodities could underpin much of the financing necessary for low-carbon solutions. The readiness of customers to recognize and pay for the value of greener commodities can help secure a sustainable future.
5. Carbon Markets Are Maturing
Finally, one of the most promising developments discussed by the panel was the maturation of carbon markets. Nelson emphasized that the projections for voluntary carbon markets are set to rise by 15 times before 2030, indicating that large sums of capital are set to be deployed towards sustainable practices in the near future.
Moving Forward
The panelists concluded the discussion on a positive note, observing that industries are increasingly ready to engage in conversations around decarbonization and green investments. This suggests a promising future where both market financing tools and significant investment will foster an easier transition towards sustainable practices than was conceivable a few years ago.
Decarbonization is no longer a distant goal. It’s happening now, powered by a blend of market instruments, technology innovation, policy mechanisms, and an increasing willingness from businesses and end users to invest in a sustainable future.
The question “Who pays for low-carbon solutions?” is being answered: we all do, because we all benefit.
How Copperleaf Can Help
Copperleaf supports organizations on the path to a low-carbon future. Our decision analytics solutions help manage and evaluate the impact of decarbonization strategies, aiding decision making and strategy realization. We’re committed to supporting organizations in reaching their net-zero goals by offering a platform that quantifies the value of all investments on equal footing, and models future scenarios to reach emission targets.
Our unique value framework quantifies the benefits of green technologies, ensuring your sustainability investments are balanced and lucrative. This is how we’re helping build a better world, one decision at a time.
For more insights on this topic, watch the full panel discussion here. We would like to extend our gratitude to the World Petrochemical Conference for granting us permission to share this video.