South Pole Group was honored to welcome H.E Suzi LeVine, United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, at their Zurich offices on May 24th. During the meeting with CEO Renat Heuberger and CFO Christoph Grobbel she discussed how businesses and governments can cooperate to tackle the challenges of climate change.
According to H.E LeVine, "climate change is not only a big global challenge, it is also a big global business opportunity". Renat Heuberger agreed that perceptions have changed in recent years: “For years, CO2 reporting and mitigation were perceived as costly and tedious duties for investors and businesses alike. Now, they are increasingly seeing the advantages: Climate-friendly solutions generate profits, businesses can reduce their risks and low-carbon indexes outperform their benchmark".
With the US accounting for the largest financial stock in the world, US investors are key in redirecting capital towards low-carbon and sustainable growth. In January, California insurance commissioner Dave Jones called on 1,300 insurers operating in the state to voluntarily divest from thermal coal investments.
“Carbon screenings have become a risk management tool. We want to support companies in cleaning their business, not their conscience. That way their shareholder value increases over the long term," underlines Christoph Grobbel.
South Pole Group has been present in the US market with an office in San Francisco since 2015.
