Summary
From Ambition to Execution: The Resilience Imperative
As countries, industries and investors navigate an increasingly complex operating environment, the conversation around climate action continues to broaden beyond emissions reduction alone. Energy security, affordability, industrial competitiveness, adaptation, resilience and investment mobilization are increasingly interconnected priorities.
At COP31, S&P Global will convene leaders from across energy, finance, government and industry to explore how these priorities can be addressed together. Through a series of workshops, roundtables, pavilion discussions and networking events, participants will examine practical pathways for advancing energy systems, strengthening resilience, supporting economic development and scaling investment where it is needed most.
Our discussions will build on S&P Global's Resilience Imperative approach, which recognizes that organizations, communities and economies must not only mitigate future climate risks, but also prepare for and adapt to the physical, financial and operational impacts already being experienced today.
The evolving conversation at COP:
The conversation around climate and sustainability has evolved significantly over recent COP gatherings.
COP28 sharpened the focus on the future of energy systems and the pathways needed to advance the energy transition. COP29 elevated the discussion around climate finance and the scale of capital required to support that transition. As the global community gathers at COP31 Türkiye, attention is increasingly turning toward implementation: how governments, industries and investors translate commitments into practical, investable and resilient outcomes. COP31 Türkiye is being positioned by the Presidency as an "Implementation COP," with priorities including clean energy transition, climate-resilient development, green industrialization and mechanisms that connect climate ambition with delivery and investment.
Our Focus at COP31
Feature Events
Speakers
S&P Global Energy
Thomas Yagel
Head of Sustainable1
Prior to leading Sustainable1, Thomas oversaw the Corporate business within Market Intelligence for six years, building on a career at S&P Global that began in 2007. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade in software product development and consulting, giving him a distinctive blend of technical depth and commercial perspective.
Thomas holds an M.B.A. with honors in finance and accounting from New York University Stern School of Business and a B.S. in physics from the University of Virginia.
S&P Global Ratings
Beth Burks
Director, Sustainable Finance Markets
Beth is one of S&P Global’s team of delegates that participates annually in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference of parties (UNFCCC COP). Her research primarily focuses on net zero targets, water risk, and the social implications of climate change. Investment Week nominated her paper on spatial finance in the Thought Leadership category of its Sustainable & ESG Investments Awards 2020. This paper quantitatively linked satellite data on ecosystems to the debt metrics of water utilities in the United States. She holds an MSc Geographical Information Science from Birkbeck College, and a BSc Mathematics from Imperial College in London. Born to British parents, she grew up in Belgium and South Korea.
S&P Global Energy
Rick Lord
Head of Sustainable1 Research and Innovation
Rick holds a Masters in Environmental Economics from Imperial College London and a Bachelor’s of Science from Queensland University of Technology.
S&P Global Energy
Prerna Divecha
Global Head of Climate Solutions, Sustainable1
Prerna leads the global market strategy for our Climate and ESG-linked Credit & Risk Solutions. Prerna has worked extensively across topics of climate change, climate scenario analysis and climate risk management. She joined S&P Global Market Intelligence in May 2017 as a Director in the Product Specialist team for Credit Risk Solutions, leading efforts in South East Asia and Japan.
Previously, she was at Fitch Ratings where she was part of the Business and Relationship Management team in Singapore, managing new business initiatives for the corporate ratings business. Before that, she spent two years at Standard Chartered on the debt markets desk, where she assisted Indian corporates in tapping the Singapore debt markets. She also spent seven years in J.P. Morgan’s investment banking team covering financial institution customers in India. Prerna is a certified Chartered Accountant from India.
S&P Global Sustainable1
Dillon Watts
Sustainability Sales Director, Sustainable1
Sustainability Sales Director, Sustainable1
Location
FAQ
Additional Events and Resources
Contact Us
S&P Global hosted events are not open to media. Reporters can contact sustainable1comms@spglobal.com for spokes person availability