Carbon Expo 2014

The world’s climate policy and market leaders will convene to explore new horizons at the next Carbon Expo  – Global Carbon Market Fair & Conference – on May 28-30, 2014 in Cologne, Germany. Carbon Expo 2014 is organized by the World Bank Group, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and Koelnmesse GmbH (Germany).

Various carbon market initiatives are emerging around the world, creating new opportunities for business, financial institutions and governments to lead the transition to green energy. Climate negotiators left Warsaw in November pledging to set new targets for the post-2020 era by early 2015. That means 2014 will be an important year: the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) will release its latest scientific findings on climate change and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will host summit world leaders aimed at increasing the ambition to combat global warming.

"It is clear that next year, every country will escalate its policy process to produce a contribution to the global climate agenda. That means business needs to prepare for more action, more clean technology deployment and more innovative finance," says Dirk Forrister, President and CEO of IETA. "Carbon Expo brings the key players from business, government and finance together to explore how carbon markets and climate finance will rise to meet these new challenges."

Entering its second decade, this 11th edition of Carbon Expo will offer  insights about the future of business and climate change. New topics will cover Voluntary Markets, Sustainability and Green Energy – and the impacts and opportunities available to energy companies, the consumer good industries, energy-intensive industries and service providers.

“Carbon Expo is the global platform to explore the detailed development of carbon markets and ways to minimize the carbon footprint of businesses worldwide,” underlines Dr Christian Glasmacher, Senior Vice president Koelnmesse GmbH. “It is the place to talk about concrete projects, sustainable supply chain management and corporate social responsibility.”

The 3-day-conference presents high-profile experts from around the world.  It offers attendees the possibility to understand new market and policy trends and to explore innovative financial strategies.

"The World Bank has co-hosted the Carbon Expo since its inception. In these ten years, carbon markets were created - they grew, and then they registered declines.  But the Expo is still the world’s premier event on carbon and climate finance and is able to attract market participants in sizeable numbers,” says Neeraj Prasad, Manager of the WBI Climate Change Practice.  “The   conference in Cologne will reflect the evolving landscape, including the challenges of private financing, of globally networked but discrete market initiatives that look beyond offsets to other instruments, the emerging technological advances, and the policy and regulatory requirements that must underpin our efforts.”

Parallel to the conference, Carbon Expo hosts a multi-sectoral trade fair that offers business development and matchmaking opportunities. Companies from the finance and energy sectors, auditors, governmental organizations and project developers present solutions, cooperation opportunities and innovations. Business opportunities in countries which are developing market-based approaches– including China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Mexico and Brazil – may present themselves.