The climate crisis is a water crisis – most people and businesses will experience the impacts of climate change as too much, or too little water. Flood and drought are profound threats to both natural ecosystems and human infrastructure, making collaboration between environmental stewardship organisations and the insurance industry more crucial than ever.

This panel discussion will explore how nature-based solutions and innovative insurance strategies can help to mitigate the impact of climate change and mediate the movement and quality of water flowing through our landscapes.

Speakers

Ben Eardley is an experienced ecologist, land manager, and naturalist. As the Project Manager for Riverlands at the National Trust Holnicote Estate, he has led the UK’s first Stage 0 river restoration project and introduced beavers into the River Aller catchment. His pioneering work is reconnecting rivers with their floodplains, slowing river flow, and retaining water in the landscape to combat flooding and drought. This approach not only increases wildlife diversity but also addresses the impacts of climate change.

Phoebe Tucker focuses on the successful implementation of nature markets in the UK at the Green Finance Institute, including Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), interventions for natural flood management and voluntary carbon markets. She leads market engagement to identify the solutions and enabling market conditions that allow nature-based projects to access private finance. This culminated in the launch of the Investment Readiness Toolkit in and the Farmers’ Toolkit for Assessing Nature Market Opportunities, so that project developers understand the steps needed to engage and build agreements with the private sector. Alongside this work, she is an advisor and assessor to the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) in England and the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS).

Rowan Douglas CBE leads Climate Risk and Resilience (CRR) at Howden Insurance and sits on the company’s Global Leadership Team. The CRR helps clients to evaluate and derisk their climate related exposures, maintain access to capital and navigate their path towards a resilient, net zero transition. Rowan has been a pioneer in the field of climate risk and insurance for over 20 years. He led the foundation of the Insurance Development Forum with UN, World Bank and Industry leaders and incubated the award-winning Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment. Previously Rowan served on the board of Willis Re as CEO Analytics and founded the Willis Research Network in 2006. Beyond insurance Rowan was appointed to the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science & Technology 2011-2016 and served on the UK Green Finance Task Force. In 2016 he was made CBE for services to the economy for risk, insurance and sustainable growth.

Julie Foley is Director of Flood Risk Strategy and National Adaptation at the Environment Agency, where she leads the development of the national Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. With 18 years of experience at the agency, Julie manages key initiatives such as the £200 million Flood & Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme and the £25 million Natural Flood Management programme. She has held several leadership roles and is also the agency’s executive champion for race equality, diversity, and inclusion. Julie was awarded an OBE in 2022 for her contributions to flood risk management.

Moderated by

Paul van Zyl is the co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Conduit. Paul is a winner of the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He served as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission and co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), an international human rights organisation based in New York City.

In collaboration with the National Trust.

Share This Event

Upcoming Events