FAST Conference 2023

Coal is the single largest source of global carbon emissions, and power generation from coal has rebounded to historically high levels, far off the path to net zero consistent with limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C. In Asia, there are about 5,500 operational coal generators, responsible for 4.5 gigatonnes of carbon emissions per year. Asia's coal plants are also far younger than the coalfleets in the US and Europe, with the majority having decades left to operate. To decisively reduce global emissions, the world needs a strategy for the managed phaseout of coal - especially in Asia where the tension between decarbonisation and development is much more acute than in the West.

Although there is wide interest in coal phaseout in APAC, there are insufficient guidance to enable transactions. Existing research also does not bridge the transition credibility and financial viability concerns.

With that as the context, the GFANZ APAC Workstream together with an industry working group and expert advisory panel is developing a practical guidance to Fls on what a "good" coal phaseout looks like, and how these can be executed in APAC to catalyse transitions.

This panel discussion aims to present the coal workstream's three-prong approach for managed phaseout of coal power generation in APAC, namely Transition Credibility, Financial Viability and Socio-Economic Inclusivity.

This panel session is curated in collaboration with Finance for Net Zero (FiNZ) and Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) Asia Pacific Network.

Speakers

Dr Mark Carney

Co-Chair, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero

UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance

Dr Mark Carney

Co-Chair, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero

UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance

Mark Carney is currently the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance and Co-Chair for the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero, a practitioner-led coalition working to increase the financial sector’s ambition on climate change and accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy. Mark is a member of the Arnhold Distinguished Fellowship Program Board within Conservation International.

Mark was previously Governor of the Bank of England (from 2013 to 2020), and Governor of the Bank of Canada (from 2008 to 2013). Internationally, Mark was Chair of the Financial Stability Board (from 2011 to 2018). He chaired the Global Economy Meeting and Economic Consultative Committee of the Bank for International Settlements (from 2018-2020) and was First Vice-Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board (from 2013-2020). Mark is also an external member of Stripe’s Board, a global technology company building economic infrastructure for the internet.

He is Chair of Brookfield Asset Management and Chair of the Chatham House Panel of Senior Advisers. Mark is a member of the Global Advisory Board of PIMCO, the Group of Thirty, the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, as well as the boards of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, The Hoffman Institute for Global Business and Society at INSEAD and Senior Counselor to Macro Advisory Partners.

Mark was born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada in 1965. After growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, he obtained a bachelor degree in Economics from Harvard and a masters and doctorate Degrees in Economics from Oxford. After a thirteen-year career with Goldman Sachs, Mark was appointed Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. In 2004, he became Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Finance. He held this position until his appointment as Governor of the Bank of Canada in February 2008.
Tim Gould

Chief Energy Economist

International Energy Agency

Tim Gould

Chief Energy Economist

International Energy Agency

Tim Gould was appointed the Agency’s Chief Energy Economist in 2021. As Chief Energy Economist, he provides strategic advice on energy economics across a wide range of IEA activities and analysis. Mr Gould is also Head of the Division for Energy Supply and Investment Outlooks, in which capacity he co-leads the World Energy Outlook, the IEA’s flagship publication, and oversees the Agency’s work on investment and finance, including the World Energy Investment report.

Mr Gould joined the IEA in 2008, initially as a specialist on Russian and Caspian energy, and in recent years has designed and directed the World Energy Outlook together with the IEA’s Chief Energy Modeller while contributing to the Outlook as a principal author. Prior to joining the IEA, Mr Gould was Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Energy Charter and has ten years of experience in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine. He graduated from Oxford University and has a post-graduate diploma from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University
Tiza Mafira

Director

Climate Policy Initiative

Tiza Mafira

Director

Climate Policy Initiative

Tiza is a public policy expert specialising in climate finance. Tiza has led work at CPI in advising several government initiatives, including advising PT SMI on the establishment of SDG Indonesia One Fund, facilitating Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Finance in establishing the Environmental Fund Public Services Agency, and providing technical assistance to the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment on JETP implementation.

Tiza’s prior work experience includes working as a corporate attorney in Jakarta, the Office of the Special Staff of the President, McKinsey, and Ceres.org. She holds a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School, with studies focusing on environmental law and climate change.
Dr Priyantha D.C. Wijayatunga

Chief, Energy Sector Group

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Dr Priyantha D.C. Wijayatunga

Chief, Energy Sector Group

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Dr Priyantha Wijayatunga, Chief of the Energy Sector Group, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has over 30 years of professional experience, including 14 years in ADB. He was the Director, South Asia Energy Division prior to assuming the current position. Prior to ADB, he served as the Director General of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka and a Senior Professor of Electrical Engineering. He has extensively contributed to the areas of energy policy and regulation, energy planning and clean energy development.

Priyantha, a Chartered Electrical Engineer, holds a Doctorate in Power Systems Economics from the Imperial College London. He was the Chairman of the South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulators (SAFIR) in 2006 to 2007 and was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Ceylon Electricity Board. He was an Advisory Board member of the Melbourne Energy Institute at the University of Melbourne during 2016 to 2019.
Yuki Yasui

Managing Director, Asia Pacific Network

Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)

Yuki Yasui

Managing Director, Asia Pacific Network

Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)

Yuki is the Director overseeing the Asia Pacific (APAC) Network for the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) which was launched in June 2022. She is focused on bringing together the financial sector across developed and emerging APAC to accelerate an inclusive and just transition to a net-zero economy.

Prior to joining GFANZ, she was at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative for 20 years and leading its activities in Asia Pacific for the last four years. She has represented UNEP FI at all three major sustainability reporting initiatives, GRI, IIRC and SASB, at various points in time. Other projects include developing and running the UNEP FI online course on climate change for the finance sector and representation at Rio+20.

She is a qualified chartered accountant in the UK (ICAEW) and trained and worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is currently based in Singapore and has worked in Bangkok, Geneva and London.

Yuki has a BSc honours degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford.
Moderator

Piyush Gupta

CEO

DBS Group

Piyush Gupta

CEO

DBS Group

Piyush Gupta has been the Chief Executive Officer and Director of DBS Group since 2009.

Prior to joining DBS, Piyush had a 27 year career at Citigroup, where his last position was Chief Executive Officer for South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Piyush is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University, Vice-Chairman of the Institute of International Finance, Washington, and Vice-Chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Executive Committee. In addition, he is a member of Singapore’s Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data. He sits on the boards of Singapore’s National Research Foundation, and the Singapore’s Council for Board Diversity. Piyush is a term trustee of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA). Previously, he has been a member of the Singapore Emerging Stronger Taskforce, aimed at defining Singapore’s future in a post-Covid world, the UN Secretary General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the McKinsey Advisory Council.

Piyush has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, India and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad.