Economic summit 2010 to discuss climate change

The 24th Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry Conference and Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2010, will be held from July 5-7 at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo. The organisers have dedicated a session to invite speakers to share their views on the importance of climate change mitigation and adaptation to ensure the region's sustained economic growth.

The session titled Climate Change: Mitigating its Impact on Business and Economic Development aims to raise awareness of the issues surrounding climate change and their implications for business and economic development, and recommend policy measures and stimulate actions that need to be taken by the private and public sectors to reduce those impacts.

The session will also examine how business can play a key role in the mitigation of climate change, through decisions to invest in researching and implementing new energy technologies and energy efficiency measures, among others.

The panel of speakers at this plenary session are Takashi Hongo, Renton de Alwis, Shiranee Yasaratne, Robert Dobias and Annisul Huq.

Takashi Hongo is the Special Advisor and Director General for Environment Finance Engineering Department, Japan Bank for International Co-operation.

In addition to engaging in financing operations for GHG emission reduction projects, he is helping develop new frontiers, such as the demand side approach for CDM, Green Investment Scheme, and Market Approach Adaptation.