We were delighted to take part in a host of events at London Climate Action Week, and ended the week on a high note as we invited the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to Angel Court to discuss the release of its first standards.  

The UK financial services industry is committed to supporting the net zero transition and recognises the critical role it must play in achieving a just transition to the green economy. It was great to witness the energy in London last week, and to engage with representatives from our industry and other sectors, as well as policy makers from the UK and elsewhere.  

Most notably of course, the King’s attendance at the Climate Innovation Forum, where he and Sadiq Khan unveiled the Climate Clock from the Guildhall, was a real highlight and the occasion to remind ourselves of his lifelong commitment, as Prince of Wales, to the environment and the climate. Other top global advocates, including Michael Bloomberg and economist Kate Raworth, also led the calls to action.  

The financial services industry was strongly represented throughout the week, with a great intervention from Alison Rose, CEO of Natwest, at the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit, and Bankers for Net Zero’s parliamentary reception with impeccable views over the Thames from the Houses of Parliament’s terrasse. We also attended roundtables with MPs and Peers, the City of London Corporation and investor groups to represent our members and provide an overview of the key concerns and asks of the industry. 

On Thursday, we launched our City AM Net Zero Homes hub, which highlights what the sector is doing to support the greening of the housing stock. It provides helpful resources to homeowners as well as recommendations to policy makers. 

On Friday, we were delighted to host Richard Barker, member of the International Sustainability Standards Board, to give a speech and Q&A as part of the launch of new its climate and sustainability disclosure standards. Richard’s insightful and detailed presentation was incredibly helpful for our members, associate members and key partners amongst government and regulators, to digest the new standards – and was a great end to a very busy week, on an optimistic note of international cooperation and public-private collaboration.  

Throughout the week, we communicated on our social media outlets to amplify the work of the sector.

• Our introduction for the week
• On Tuesday, we highlighted our work on greening the housing stock
• On Wednesday, our Managing Director of Corporate Affairs and Strategic Policy Sarah Boon welcomed the publication of the latest Climate Change Committee report, and provided an overview of our key policy asks, also reflected in our recent response to the Green Finance Strategy and Powering up Britain announcements
• On Thursday, we celebrated the launch of our City AM Net Zero Homes hub.
• On Friday, we thanked Richard Barker from the ISSB for attending our event in Angel Court and linked to some of our previous participation to the ISSB’s work