Funding the Transition, with Duncan Paterson and Susheela Peres da Costa

Welcome to Episode 4 of the Positive Tipping Points Special! A 7-episode special series on the road to COP30 in Belem, with guest host Liz Courtney.Markets don’t just reflect change—they can create it. We sit down with two leaders in responsible investment to unpack how stewardship, smarter regulation, and clear definitions are accelerating corporate decarbonisation and funding solutions at scale. From boardrooms to supply chains, they reveal where investor pressure truly lands, when escalation matters, and why Scope 3 conversations are reshaping strategy across sectors.We dig into Australia’s new sustainability reporting regime and what comparability unlocks for capital markets. But good data is only a start; the real edge comes from analysis that weighs abatement costs, feasibility, and long-term risk. Our guests break down the crucial difference between risk, relative sustainability performance, and impact, and how sloppy language feeds greenwashing while precise terms protect ambition. Fiduciary duty isn’t a brake on climate action—it’s a mandate to manage systemic risk over decades, which turns pensions and sovereign capital into engines for transition.Divestment gets a sober assessment: selling shares usually changes owners, not outcomes. The bigger lever is enabling clean solutions with new capital while engaging incumbents with clear milestones and consequences. We explore why renewables now outcompete fossil fuels in many markets, where technology can design out waste across value chains, and how circular thinking creates durable advantages. The stakes for laggards are rising—physical damage, stranded assets, reduced access to finance, reputational hits, and shrinking export pathways as trading partners tighten standards. Australia has a chance to lead by investing in IP, basic science, education, and advanced manufacturing, turning ideas into industry.You’ll also hear personal journeys into climate finance, practical advice for students and career-changers, and two bold system fixes: cut mis/disinformation at the source and price externalities so value tracks harm and benefit. Ready to see how capital can push us past the next positive tipping point? Follow the show, share this episode with a friend who cares about climate and markets, and leave a review with the one lever you’d pull first.Connect with us! Support the showYour Hosts:Dan LeveringtonLoreto GutierrezLiked this episode? Subscribe to our podcast to get the latest Sustainability insights every two weeks. And follow us on Linkedin and Instagram.Email us your ideas, feedback and interviewee suggestions at [email protected]