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The conference on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2002: Addressing the New Business Imperative was held from 8-9 October 2002 at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue in Rüschlikon, Switzerland. Organized by Swiss Re and co-sponsored by Aon, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), Natsource, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the conference was attended by close to 200 participants from the financial and business communities as well as governmental, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. The participants included experts from the energy and power generation sectors, energy-intensive industries and financial institutions, as well as greenhouse gas service providers.

The conference sought to explore greenhouse gas-related business risks, foster a common understanding of the financial bottom-line, and investigate practical financial solutions to manage these risks, by considering the following questions:

• What is the status of international and national climate policies?
   

• What are the economic drivers that expose business to greenhouse gas risks?
   

• What are the opportunities and risks of the global greenhouse gas market?
   

• How are leading companies responding to the challenge?
   

• What is the role of the financial community, and what practical experience is available in applying financial products and solutions in the greenhouse gas context?

The first day of the conference focussed on the business impact of carbon constraints, while the second day focussed on financial solutions for managing carbon risks and assets. Participants met in plenary sessions and in workshops to explore sector specific exposure and responses to the climate change issue, as well as examining issues such as insurance, project finance and investment solutions to emissions reduction, financial instruments to mitigate risk, and corporate governance.

The conference continued a process that had been initiated a year earlier with the conference on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2001, held from 11 - 12 October in Rüschlikon, and that had continued with the conference Emissions Reduction: Main Street to Wall Street – The Climate in North America, held from 17 - 18 July 2002 in New York City. A follow-up conference is anticipated for 2003.

Links |
Swiss Re Conference Programme
The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA)