Two international climate finance figures will debate the global failure to address environmental risks at a historic Edinburgh venue this month.
The event will take place at Panmure House, the former home of economist Adam Smith, and is hosted by Heriot-Watt University’s Centre for Financing a Sustainable Future on Friday 9 October.
Frédéric Samama and Simon Thompson will lead the discussion, titled The Enigma of Climate Inaction, examining why meaningful environmental measures continue to fall short despite widespread scientific and economic understanding.
The afternoon session will conclude with an open question and answer segment, inviting the city’s academic, financial, and public communities to challenge the speakers directly.
Professor Håvard Halland, Professor and Chair of Sustainable Finance at Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh Business School, said: “We know climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity. Yet, we continue to fall short, and there are few people better placed than Frédéric and Simon to ask why.
“Panmure House has been a home for debate since Adam Smith welcomed the great minds of the Scottish Enlightenment through its doors.
“It remains a centre for economic and social debate today, which makes it exactly the right room in which to discuss this topic.
“It’s a critical issue to tackle and a vital one to find solutions to. Anyone who cares about the future of our economy and our planet should want to be part of that conversation, especially given the calibre of speakers we have in the room.”
Mr Samama will open the event by sharing insights from his research, which draws on economics, philosophy, and cognitive science to explore why societies persist with inadequate institutional models.
His career in green finance includes developing low-carbon equity indices and creating one of the first large-scale green bond funds dedicated to financing infrastructure in emerging markets alongside the International Finance Corporation.
He also co-authored The Green Swan, exploring the implications of climate change for financial stability, and testified before the US Senate on the economic risks of climate change in 2020.
Mr Samama said: “Humanity has never been more aware of the risks of climate change, yet our collective response remains short of what we are told by leading authorities is needed.
“The problem is no longer a lack of knowledge. We know a great deal about the risks we face, so the big question is why that knowledge has not translated into more decisive action.
“This event is a chance to get under the skin of that question. I’ll explore why societies and institutions can become trapped in models that were once extraordinarily successful but increasingly fail to reflect the world around them—and what might enable us to move beyond them.”
He will be joined by Mr Thompson, a former managing director of the Global Capacity Building Coalition and founding chair of the UK’s Sustainable Finance Education Charter.
Mr Thompson said: “These are vital questions to get to grips with. For anyone working in finance, holding a leadership role, with an academic interest or working on the environment, this is a must-attend event.
“We hope it will give people the knowledge and confidence to go away and question their own practices in their own industries.”
The venue for the debate, Panmure House, has stood in Edinburgh’s Old Town since 1691 and served as Adam Smith’s home from 1778 until 1790.
It was rescued from dereliction by Edinburgh Business School and Heriot-Watt University in 2008 and formally reopened in 2018 following a £5.6m renovation.
The event runs from 2pm to 4pm, and attendees can register for free through Eventbrite.
