Ecometrica CEO Chairs International Environmental Conference
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Climate change expert and chief executive of Edinburgh-based Ecometrica, Dr Richard Tipper, has urged investors, customers and businesses “not to stop and wait for regulation to catch up", as the international community continues to grapple with a unified response to tackle environmental and climate change threats.
Dr Tipper is set to chair this week’s 3rd Annual Forestry, Biomass & Sustainability 2012 conference, which will be held in London and attended by some 120 global financiers, investors, climate experts and public sector representatives.
Dr Tipper said: “Investors, customers and businesses are currently ahead of governments and international agreements in many aspects of environmental markets. However, there is a real danger the progress made to date will grind to a halt if we wait for policymakers to make substantive progress. We must, therefore, ensure the momentum is maintained and this conference is an important platform to bring together leading international experts to explore these issues and opportunities in more depth.
“The growth in interest in carbon finance, new forestry investment and developments in timberland and ecosystem will provide delegates with an opportunity to gauge the mood of investors and the wider community on these issues.”
As a result of new revenue streams, the traditional attractions of timberland as an asset class have seen resurgence, backed by a significant increase in demand for biomass, carbon credits and ecosystem services.
In response, many new forest funds are emerging, with interest in global public-private partnerships being boosted and power companies increasingly competing with the pulp and paper sector.
Dr Tipper will also make a presentation on how the explosion of geo-spatial data is driving environmental markets on the second day of the conference.
The 3rd Annual Forestry, Biomass & Sustainability 2012 conference takes place at the Hallam Conference Centre, London, on 3-4 May 2012.
The keynote address will be presented by Sandy LaBaugh, Senior Director & Portfolio Manager, Natural Resources & Infrastructure Investments of TIAA-CREF.