Quotes of the Quarter

04 January 2016

Frederic Samama"Markets are short-term, so they are pricing the likelihood of polluting companies being penalised at almost zero. People are beginning to ask if they can really make that bet... If you misprice those risks, then you've failed your fiduciary responsibility"

Frederic Samama, Amundi, on the shift in how investors see the carbon footprint of their holdings

Manuel Lewin"Maybe the market is not quite ready for [green bonds from oil companies], but thinking about green bonds in black and white terms - good and bad - will not get us where we need to be"

Manuel Lewin, Zurich

Andrew Power"We didn't think the initial work [of issuing a green bond] was that intensive. Don't be discouraged"

Andrew Power, Digital Realty, gives his advice to potentional issuers at the Environmental Finance Green Bonds Americas conference

Michael Bloomberg. Image: Rubenstein."It's critical that industries and investors understand the risks posed by climate change, but currently there is too little transparency about those risks"

Michael Bloomberg, who will head up a new taskforce looking at how companies are managing climate-change risks

Aldo Romani"As policymakers and the private sector hone in on climate finance we need a shared language and set of metrics. This doesn't just apply to green bonds - this market is a litmus test for wider climate finance"

Aldo Romani, deputy head of Euro funding at the European Investment Bank

"The precipitous stock price declines [of yieldcos] have made it more difficult [for them] to continue to acquire projects, since many use their stock as currency"

Tim Kemper, co-national director, renewables energy industry, at CohnReznick, on the future of the troubled asset class

Felipe Gordillo"You cannot put in place an environmental policy at country level, or a climate agreement between countries, that won't tackle the real estate sector"

Felipe Gordillo, BNP Paribas Investment Partners

Fiona Reynolds"It is vital that investors continue using their influence to encourage the private and public sectors to take decisive action not just in Paris but throughout 2016"

Fiona Reynolds, managing director of the Principles for Responsible Investment

Mats Andersson"The financial sector is acting - the billions mobilised today will be trillions tomorrow"

Mats Andersson, CEO of AP4, on the Portfolio Decarbonisation Coalition, which reached $600 billion, smashing its $100 billion target

"The need for standardisation in this market is self-evident and urgent - we need a definition of what is green"

Julien Bras, socially responsible investment portfolio manager at Allianz, speaking on green bonds

Narendra Modi"The world must turn to solar, the power of our future"

Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, launches the International Solar Alliance, which aims to mobilise $1 trillion by 2030

Izzet Bensusan"Three years ago I was becoming sceptical that there would be any carbon markets at all, but what I'm finding now is something completely different"

Izzet Bensusan, CEO of Karbone Group, on the recovery of North American carbon markets