3rd Energy Finance Conference India
December 14-17th, 2021

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Theme: How Clean is Green Financing?
Understanding the National and International Landscape, Investors & its Efficacy

Organisers:
The Indo-German Centre for Sustainability, IIT-Madras
Centre for Financial Accountability

Knowledge Partner:
Climate Trends

>>>>>>>Day 1<<<<<<<

Tuesday | December 14, 2021
3:00-5:00 PM IST

Inaugural Keynote
Jairam Ramesh, Former Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,  Government of India

Session I: Adaptation, Loss and Damage – COP26 and the Money Trail

Topic & Speakers:
A run-down of what happened at the COP26 in the climate finance arena
By Meena Raman, Third World Network

India’s path ahead in terms of commitment and obligations
By Gagan Sidhu, Centre for Energy Finance, CEEW

Critique of India’s commitment at COP26: A reality check
By Nitin Sethi, The Reporters’ Collective

Chair:
Sudhir Chella Rajan, Indo German Centre for Sustainability – IIT-Madras

Session Brief: The inaugural address will be followed by the first session of EFCI 2021. This session will delve into the question of climate finance commitments at the previous editions of COP, while also looking into the heart of the problem as to who’s going to pay for the transition and how much? Twelve years ago, rich nations pledged to send cross-border aid to support mitigation and adaptation actions in the developing world. While the developed world has put enormous diplomatic pressure on developing nations to commit to decarbonisation pathways, they have failed to meet their own financial obligations meant to hasten this progress. Hence, the key question today is about where we stand on finance on grant basis and climate reparation.

>>>>>>>Day 2<<<<<<<

Wednesday | December 15, 2021
3:00-5:00 PM IST

Session II: Multinational Institutions and Finance for the Developing World

Topic & Speakers:
Mapping the climate finance requirement to tackle climate change
By Mariel Vilella, Zero Waste- Europe

The canvas of multinational institutions investing in climate funding and the nature of the funding
By  Rathin Roy,  Overseas Development Institute

Climate Finance: A case Study from Philippines
By Lidy Nacpil, Asia Energy Network & APMDD

Chair:
Aarti Khosla, Climate Trends

Session Brief: While developing countries, especially those with lax financial systems, face challenges in absorbing the flow of money and directing its efficient use, the nature of these financial flows is also put to test by scholars. The second  session will examine the roles played by multilateral lending institutions in the climate agenda through the instrument of finance. While delving into the historical criticisms of the impact that multilateral and bilateral lending has had on developing economies, the second session at EFCI 2021  will also reexamine the new sustainability framework. The session will draw on the case-study of Philippines – a country with a growing portfolio sustainable infrastructure projects, ranging from renewable energy and low-carbon transport to solid waste management and water supply.

>>>>>>>Day 3<<<<<<<

Thursday | December 16, 2021
3:00-5:00 PM IST

Panel III: Patching over Emissions – Paying for Net-Zero

Topic & Speakers:  
The real story of net-zero: A climate justice perspective
By  Soumya Datta, Friends of the Earth India and MAUSAM

India’s decarbonization pathway: A feminist perspective
By Kalyani Menon-Sen, Gender at Work

Charting out a plan to meet India’s net-zero targets
By Chandra Bhushan, iFOREST

The Economic cost of climate transition
By Ajay Shah, Jindal Global Business School

Chair:
Bhargavi Rao, Centre for Financial Accountability

Session Brief: While India’s decarbonisation pathway would be under scanner in the coming decades, some estimates say that it requires about $170 billion a year in green funding to work towards climate mitigation and adaptation technologies. So far, the annual  green finance flow into India has been  less than 1% of this requirement. The third session at EFCI 2021  hence will focus on the governance blindspots we need to be wary of, the regulatory and institutional capacities that need to be built to monitor the use and effect of green finance, and the risk assessment required to achieve decarbonisation while securing livelihoods, biodiversity and gender equity.

>>>>>>>Day 4<<<<<<<

Friday, December 17, 2021
3:00-5:00 PM IST

Panel IV: Green Finance and the Risk of False Solutions

Topic & Speakers:      
False solutions: A global context
By Doun Moon, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

The net-zero greenwash and false solutions
By  Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh

Canvas of investments in Agriculture and Forestry
By  Sushmita, Independent Researcher

Greenwashing and false solutions: A regulatory perspective and the way ahead
By  Arpitha Kodiveri, Postdoctoral Researcher, Climate Litigation Accelerator, NYU School of Law

Chair:    
Joe Athialy, Centre for Financial Accountability

Session Brief: The final session of EFCI 2021 will focus on the issues of greenwashing and false solutions forwarded in the name of green finance within the global and South Asian contexts, along with the lack of oversight mechanisms and information opacity that allow these industries to grow unchecked. The session will also look at the policy reforms required to set up the monitoring systems that we are in need of.

For more information:  efci@cenfa.org