In-person panel event In Montréal, Canada.
(A recording will be made available and shared after the event)
Venue: Hôtel ZERO 1, 1 René-Lévesque Est, Montréal, QC H2X 3Z5
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 (Local time Montréal)
Co-hosts: Stop Ecocide Foundation, Stop Ecocide International
While some businesses are setting an example in the transition towards sustainable and regenerative practices, it is difficult for true collective change to be implemented while finance continues to flow to projects that severely threaten the natural living world, as governments and regulatory authorities are failing to keep pace with delivering meaningful protection of vital ecosystems.
As a result, many companies are increasingly recognising their responsibility extends beyond the bottom line, and are calling for voluntary action to be upgraded into specific laws and standards.
By recognising ecocide at the International Criminal Court, key decision makers can be held to account. Acting as a powerful deterrent against mass destruction of the environment, such a law could create lasting protection for vital ecosystems and life on earth as well as justice for those most threatened. At the same time it would raise business standards, levelling the playing field and stabilising operational and reputational risk, rebalancing demand and accelerating corporate practice toward strategic positive change.
Speakers:
Chair, Stop Ecocide Foundation, Convenor of the Expert panel for the legal definition of ecocide.
Jojo Mehta co-founded Stop Ecocide in 2017, alongside legal pioneer the late Polly Higgins, to support making severe harm to nature an international crime.
As key spokesperson and Executive Director of Stop Ecocide International, Jojo has overseen the remarkable growth of the global movement while coordinating legal developments, diplomatic traction and public narrative. She is also Chair of the charitable Stop Ecocide Foundation and convenor of the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide chaired by Philippe Sands QC and Dior Fall Sow.
Global Director of Advocacy, Natura & Co; Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
Head of Public Policy & UK, Ecosia
High Level Climate Champion COP25
Founder, Grounded
Strategist, B-Team
Farooq drives sustainable development through ambitious business action and advocacy that upholds Net-Zero, Just Transition and biodiversity commitments. He provides cross-cutting policy and advocacy support to optimize our campaigns, including driving ambition at key intergovernmental fora including UNFCCC and UN CBD. Farooq has over 18 years of sustainable development & public policy experience at international, national and local government levels. He is an Associate, IISD; Associated Partner, ESDN; Fellow, RSA; and Peer for the 3rd International Peer Review of the German National Sustainable Development Strategy. A nature lover, Farooq lives in the UK with his dog (and best friend), Obi.
Moderator:
Hari Balasubramanian is a proven sustainability expert who is driven by the belief that all types of capital can be deployed to achieve impact. His goal: a healthy planet on land and in the ocean, a stable climate, abundant and diverse wildlife, prosperous communities and flowing, clean fresh water; not as a cost to society, but as an opportunity and previously under-recognized business value.
Hari helps create enduring and profitable social and environmental solutions across sectors, asset classes and the capital stack. He has worked alongside over 300 projects in 5 languages and 60+ countries and has influenced over U$4B in sustainability-oriented financing – helping protect threatened species, forests, oceans and the people who depend upon them. He is founder of EcoAdvisors and EcoInvestors Capital, which advise and invest for sustainability at scale. He previously worked at Conservation International leading impact due diligence, measurement and reporting. He serves as a Director for several environmental charities and funds, mentor to start-ups, and advisor to investors, corporates, and governments on the value of nature and the future of sustainability. Recently, he was recognized as the 2021 top impact consultant/enabler in Canada through Clean Leaders. He holds a BSc in Biology from McGill University and an MSc in Geography (Distinction) from Oxford University.