Press Release: District Attorney Sam Sutter Hosts and Moderates Panel at Boston Carbon Risk Forum at Harvard Law School

Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter was one of the hosts for today’s Boston Carbon Risk Forum held at Harvard Law School. District Attorney Sutter also moderated a panel discussion of experts on the issue of framing the problem of carbon risk and the potential responses to the risk of increased carbon dioxide emission into our atmosphere.

The district attorney was one of 15 hosts for this vitally important all-day forum. Other hosts included Boston, Providence and Cambridge city councilors, the mayors of Somerville and Medford, the former mayor of Seattle and faith leaders. The Boston Carbon Risk Forum was convened by the Mayors Innovation Project and Better Future Project, and was heavily attended by government officials, private industry leaders and various organizations attempting to solve the growing problem of excess carbon in the atmosphere.

District Attorney Sutter specifically moderated a panel discussion entitled, “Carbon Risk: Framing the Problem and the Response.” The panel was comprised of Mark Campanale, of the Carbon Tracker Initiative, and Mark Lewis, of Kepler Cheuvreux, two well-respected experts on this issue. Mark Campanale is the founder of the Carbon Tracker Initiative and conceived the “unburnable carbon” thesis. Prior to founding Carbon Tracker, Mr. Campanale had 25 years of experience working in sustainable financial markets. He set up the first responsible investment funds at Jupiter Asset Management, served on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and is the Treasurer of the Rainforest Foundation in the United kingdom. Mr. Lewis is the senior sustainability analysts and coordinator of energy transition at Kepler Cheuvreux. He previously worked as managing director in commodities research at Deutsche Bank, and his research on European Union energy markets was ranked number 1 by Energy Risk Magazine four years in a row. He also has 17 years of experience as a financial analyst covering European and global energy markets.

Other panel discussions held during the all-day event today included a panel on Divestment as a “Response to Carbon Risk”, “What Happens if you Divest?”, “Divestment Case Study” and a “Carbon Risk Roundtable.”

The Boston Carbon Risk Forum brought together government leaders, financial professionals and various leaders of organizations concerned about carbon risk in their communities and their financial investments. According to the Mayors Innovation project, more than 30 local governments have moved to divest from fossil fuels during the past year alone. Those governments have been joined nationwide by individuals, universities, organizations and investments groups.

“It was an honor to be asked to moderate a panel with such distinguished guests like Mark Campanale and Mark Lewis,” District Attorney Sutter said. “The issues of escalating risks of carbon dioxide emissions and the potential power of the divestment movement to change the status quo are critical ones. I will continue in my commitment to take a leadership role on this issue.”

For more information on the forum, please go to mayors innovation.org, and to learn more about what Better Future Project is doing here in Massachusetts to protect the environment, please go to betterfutureproject.org.

Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
508-997-0711
774-292-9576—cell

Ashley Bendiksen
Media Assistant
508-997-0711
774-929-5614—cell