London Climate Action Week 2020 – Seizing the opportunity for a net-zero world
In the month that Glasgow was supposed to host the UNFCCC COP 26, the Green Horizon Summit brought together leaders from the public and private sectors to explore the pivotal role of green finance in supporting a green recovery and an economy-wide transition to net...
The Green Horizon Summit – The pivotal role of finance
This month was meant to mark the start of the COP26 summit. World leaders had been expected to gather here in the UK to agree the next critical stage in the global response to the climate crisis. Nearly 200 countries would have been represented at the most important...
The UK needs a second green investment bank to help investors decarbonise
A National Investment Bank could make low-carbon technologies more attractive to private investors, argues the head of the Green Finance Institute We often hear there is no shortage of capital to solve the climate crisis, and theoretically this is true....
Carbon pricing is the missing piece in the Chancellor’s green recovery plan
If the UK wants to be a global climate leader and finance hub at COP26, a carbon charge should be a core part of its climate strategy, argues the Green Finance Institute's chief executive, Rhian-Mari Thomas. The British government is now at a crossroads of...
Annual letter from the chair and chief executive
This month marks the first anniversary of the Green Finance Institute. Ordinarily, we would celebrate such a milestone with our many friends and supporters as we did at our launch last summer during the Green Finance Summit at London’s Guildhall. These aren’t ordinary...
The Green Finance Institute and members of the Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings (CEEB) highlight further pathways to UK Government’s energy efficiency goals
Today the Chancellor announced £3bn of public investment into energy efficiency measures as part of a wider coronavirus stimulus package. Among the measures is a £2bn Green Homes Grant with vouchers of up to £5,000 to help homeowners upgrade their homes, with up to...
Stimulus actions for a greener and more resilient property sector
A programme of stimulus actions and reforms for the net-zero building and retrofit sectors represents an opportunity to accelerate the UK’s economic recovery in the wake of Covid-19, while delivering a national building stock that can benefit public health and the...
Financing energy efficient buildings: the path to retrofit at scale
“The work carried out by the Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings represents a positive step towards achieving our Green Finance Strategy ambition to build the market for green home finance. The proposed demonstrators aim to support the development of...
Building a Greener Future (part one)
Author: Emma Harvey, director, Green Finance Institute As the Christmas festivities fade into distant memory, households across the country will be packing away the tinsel and turning up the thermostat as the chilly weather arrives with the new year. The cold winter...
Green is the new black
Author: Emma Harvey, director, Green Finance Institute Following a recent trip to the supermarket, I walked out with a bright green notebook that proclaimed “Green is the new Black” on its front cover. This simple idiom brought a frequently debated question to mind:...
Green Finance Institute CEO addresses the annual BNP Paribas Global Markets Conference
Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, Chief Executive of the Green Finance Institute, joined a distinguished panel of speakers at the fourth annual BNP Paribas Global Markets Conference in London, which focused on the key trends impacting the investment community. Dr. Rhian-Mari...
Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, chief executive, Green Finance Institute on the impact of climate change on the mortgage market
These are her remarks as delivered at the UK Finance Annual Mortgage Conference “Thank you to UK Finance for inviting me to speak today. “I usually like to start these talks with reference to science. “For example, yesterday’s global average atmospheric concentration...