The Lord Mayor of the Corporation Michael Mainelli will today host a Sustainability and Biodiversity Conference with the Rotary Club of London and the Zoological Society of London at Mansion House. This event will address critical issues including sustainability, climate change, and green finance.
This conference will bring together key stakeholders — nature and biodiversity specialists, institutional investors, financiers, and thought leaders who are instrumental in shaping the future of green finance. The Lord Mayor will call on companies to tackle biodiversity loss and will discuss the impact climate change has on businesses globally. According to analysis by Green Finance, further deterioration in the UK’s natural environment could lead to a 12pc loss to GDP.
Panel discussions and speeches will include the integration of sustainability into the financial and professional services sectors, ecosystem recovery, and financing biodiversity.
The Lord Mayor of the Corporation, Michael Mainelli, said:
“As a scientist by trade, I am delighted to be able to use this platform as leader of the Corporation – the world’s oldest democratic workers’ and residents’ cooperative – to help build closer ties between the science, tech, finance, and business communities.
“The cares deeply about nature. We were the first government body to introduce a clean air act in 1953 and we’re on track to reach net zero in our own operations by 2027, while supporting net zero for the whole Square Mile by 2040.
“It is in all our interests – from an environmental, ethical, and business standpoint – to tackle biodiversity loss, and by being here today you are playing an important part in our cross-City effort to find solutions.”
Rob Sisson, Co-Founder at Panicle Office said:
“Everyone enjoys being in nature, and it’s good for the planet, those things aren’t in question – but figuring out how to finance it is. £56,000,000,000 (that’s billion) is what we need to find for the UK’s nature alone and that has to come from private investors (since the public purse isn’t big enough). This is exactly why we’re hosting a panel discussing how we’ll pay for nature with some fantastic experts from the WWF, The Green Finance Institute, and Biodiversify.”
Alison Debney, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystem Recovery Conservation Lead at the Zoological Society of London said:
“For nature to recover, we need cross-sector working and collaboration to drive change and put nature at the centre of decision making. ZSL is delighted to be part of the Corporation event where we will present our work to restore our vital coastal ecosystems that will both benefit society and nature.
“By having these dialogues, we will be able to find pathways to sustainability that will build resilience in business and the natural resources they depend on.”
Dr Sam Sinclair, Founder of Biodiversify said:
“The health of natural ecosystems is vital to sustaining global economies, and forward-thinking businesses recognise that biodiversity loss presents significant financial risks.
“To stay at the forefront of global finance, London’s businesses need to make nature conservation a core part of their operations. By joining forces with industries and governments, we can create a new way of thinking—one that safeguards both the UK’s economic future and the planet.”
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