Unlocking High-Impact Capital: Scaling Climate & Nature-Based Solutions

Join the Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment (HACE) for a morning of bringing together leaders from finance, industry, academia, and policy to explore how capital can be mobilised at the scale and speed required to tackle climate change and nature loss.

Through keynote remarks, two senior-level panel discussions, and a research spotlight, participants will hear about the investment opportunities, policy frameworks, and innovative partnerships needed to accelerate the net-zero transition.

As well as having the opportunity to network, continue the conversation and identify opportunities for collaboration with investors, policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, and Harvard alumni.

Hosted by Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment (HACE) with the kind support of the Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.

AGENDA:

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Registration & Coffee

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Welcome Remarks
Montserrat Valdez, Climate UK Lead, Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment (HACE)
Peter Tufano, Baker Foundation Professor, Harvard Business School and Senior Advisor, Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability

10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Panel I: Financing the Energy Transition
The energy transition will require unprecedented investment in clean energy, infrastructure, and industrial decarbonisation. This discussion will explore how public and private capital can work together to reduce financing costs, unlock investment opportunities, and accelerate deployment at scale.

Speakers include
Ian Simm, CEO, Impax Asset Management
Julia Reinaud, Senior Director, Breakthrough Energy
Ely Sandler, Founder, Article Six Group; Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Just Climate

11:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Featured Research Spotlight | Lowering the Cost of Capital for Clean Energy
Sharing initial findings from a joint Harvard Kennedy School–Oxford University research initiative examining the cost of capital for infrastructure investments globally, representing one of the first large-scale empirical datasets on infrastructure financing and offering important insights into accelerating climate and energy-transition investment.

Ely Sandler, Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, Co-Founder of Article Six Group, Investor at Aurelia Foundry

11:15 AM – 11:30 AM
Coffee Break

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Panel II: Scaling Nature-based Solutions & the Role of Carbon Removals
As investors increasingly recognise nature as a critical component of climate resilience and economic stability, new financing mechanisms are emerging to support conservation, restoration, and carbon removals. This session will explore how institutional capital can help scale these opportunities while ensuring environmental integrity and measurable impact.

Speakers include
Valerie Hickey, Global Director for Environment, World Bank
Julia Azevedo, Director, Capital Solutions, Climate Asset Management
Jessica Smith, Head of Nature, UNEP Finance Initiative

Moderated by
Isabelle Saxton, Founder, Global Sustainable Network

12:15 PM – 12:30 PM
Closing Reflections

12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Networking Reception
An opportunity for investors, policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, and Harvard alumni to continue the conversation and identify opportunities for collaboration.