Green Bonds: a solution to finance the future? [Audio]

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Speaker(s): Suzanne Buchta, Sean Kidney | Are financial markets the enemy of social equality and the environment? Or can market forces help nurture a more sustainable future? Green Bonds enable investment in projects that help the environment. They help address environmental problems, thereby reducing environmental risks to people and companies, whilst creating returns for investors. There has been huge demand for green bonds since their creation, and it’s thought that over $100bn will be issued by the end of 2015. During 2015 green bonds have also expanded into emerging economies, as they encourage climate investment, and generate growth in domestic debt capital markets. This lecture will explore how green bonds have offered a solution for regulators, investors and clients to fulfil their environmental, social and governance duties, whilst providing returns on investment. Can they square the circle between market efficiency and environmental protection? Suzanne Buchta is a managing director in Debt Capital Markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She has been active in advising issuers and consulting investors on Green Bonds since 2010. Her team bought the first retail Green Bonds in 2011. She co-authored a white paper on the framework for green bonds that formed the basis for the “Green Bond Principles”. Recently, Suzanne was named the 2015 Financial News Editor's Choice for her instrumental role in the green bond market. Sean Kidney (@seankidney) is CEO and Co-founder of the Climate Bonds Initiative. He focuses on promoting investment priorities for climate and green bonds, how governments can take advantage of the green bonds market and the development of international collaborations. He acted as Chair of the Climate Bond Standards Board (members represent $34 trillion of assets under management), the consultant to projects for the People's Bank of China and the Chinese Government’s Development Research Centre on how to grow green bonds in China and the consultant to the European Commission's Directorate-General of Climate Change, on mobilizing private capital for climate solutions. Samuel Fankhauster (@SamFankhauser) is Co-Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. The LSE Sustainability Team coordinates the School's approach to the environment, working with teams across the LSE community to embed sustainability in the everyday life of the university. The LSE Students' Union Business and Finance Society is the largest society on campus, aiming to educate people about different branches of finance and professional and financial services and provide a comprehensive view of how these entities function through a series of self-organised events.