The Infrastructure Deficit: The Role of ESG Standards and Frameworks in Sustainable Investment

On March 3rd, Mott Macdonald hosted the first webinar in the IPFA’s Countdown to COP26 Webinar Series. The session, titled “The Infrastructure Deficit: The Role of ESG Standards and Frameworks in Sustainable Investment” brought together over 120 attendees from 41 countries to investigate the role of ESG indicators in supporting a green recovery from COVID 19.

Between now and 2040, it is estimated that $94 trillion of investment is required to both facilitate the growth of developing countries and to upgrade aging infrastructure around the world. Careful planning and execution are required to ensure that we receive the desired benefits of investment without compromising environmental health and social development.

This session explored the role of consistent and transparent measurement of ESG impacts as one way to help prioritize infrastructure investment and lead us toward a green recovery. Denise Bower, OBE, Mott MacDonald Executive Board, set the stage, noting the extensive relief funding that has already been committed to infrastructure, with $10 billion committed in the United States, $3 billion in Canada, and excess of £5 billion in the UK. She further explained that investment in infrastructure is viewed as a catalyst to wider recovery by many and that it is critical to get it right.

Download the summary to read more.

Speakers:

Professor Denise Bower OBE, Executive Director, Mott MacDonald (Moderator)
Jim Pass, Global Head of Project Finance, Guggenheim Partners
David McCauley, Senior VP for Global Partnerships & Multilateral Engagement, WWF
Ginette Borduas, Head of ESG & Sustainability, Meridiam