Anniversary seminar NWB Bank on financing climate adaptation

On Thursday 9 January, our bank celebrated its 70th anniversary with a special seminar on financing climate adaptation. It was a great success and the need for action was palpable among the speakers and guests present.

The seminar was entitled ‘Financing climate adaptation: integrating the scientific, social and political dimension’ and was opened by our CEO Lidwin van Velden, followed by three keynote speeches from leading experts:

Joyeeta Gupta, leading scholar and author in sustainability and climate justice, set the stage from a scientific perspective. Her urgent message is that rapid change is needed, shifting completely away from fossil fuels and supporting sustainable energy transition in developing countries.

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, focused on the social perspective of climate adaptation and advocate for a ‘just transition’. She praised our work and called on NWB Bank to share its knowledge and expertise with developing countries.

Sanna Marin, former prime minister of Finland, argued that to hold out hope for sustainable change, action is needed. She highlighted the geopolitical need for a sustainable energy transition in Europe. Marin stated that disasters, such as the current LA wildfires, are a window of opportunity for politicians to mobilize voters effect in order to battle climate change.

After the speeches, Robert de Groot (Vice President European Investment Bank), Elina Bardram (Director for Adaptation & Resilience, Communication & Civil Society Relations at the European Commission), Stefan Kuks (chairman Waterschap Vechtstromen) and Lidwin van Velden, engaged in a panel discussion on financing models and the new strategic frameworks for climate adaptation.

Joanne Kellermann, chair of NWB Bank’s Supervisory Board, closed the seminar. The event took place at H'ART Museum in Amsterdam and was moderated by Simon Mundy, journalist for the Financial Times.