World-leading experts to debate climate inaction in Edinburgh finance event

Two of the world’s leading authorities on climate finance will debate why the world keeps failing to act on climate change at Adam Smith’s former home, Panmure House.

The event, on Friday 9 October, is hosted by Heriot-Watt University's Centre for Financing a Sustainable Future and will feature Frédéric Samama, one of the most influential figures in global climate finance, as well as leading sustainable finance author, Simon Thompson.

Titled The Enigma of Climate Inaction: Why do we continue to fall short on climate action? The must-attend event will tackle a question that troubles scientists, policymakers and investors alike: if the risks are so well understood, why does meaningful action keep falling short?

Professor Håvard Halland, Professor and Chair of Sustainable Finance at Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh Business School, said: "We know climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity. Yet, we continue to fall short, and there are few people better placed than Frédéric and Simon to ask why.

“Panmure House has been a home for debate since Adam Smith welcomed the great minds of the Scottish Enlightenment through its doors.

“It remains a centre for economic and social debate today, which makes it exactly the right room in which to discuss this topic.

“It's a critical issue to tackle and a vital one to find solutions to. Anyone who cares about the future of our economy and our planet should want to be part of that conversation, especially given the calibre of speakers we have in the room.”

Frédéric Samama is a pioneer of green finance. His contributions include developing low-carbon equity indices, co-developing the research underpinning the first IPCC-aligned equity indices, and creating, with the International Finance Corporation, one of the first large-scale green bond funds dedicated to financing infrastructure in emerging markets.

In addition to his latest book, “The Enigma of Climate Inaction”, his publications include The Green Swan, co-authored with colleagues at the Bank for International Settlements, Banque de France and Columbia University, which explored the implications of climate change for financial stability and central banking.

Environmental Finance named him Personality of the Year at its 2026 Sustainable Investment Awards, and he testified before the US Senate on the economic risks of climate change in 2020.

Frédéric will open the event by sharing insights from his latest research, drawing on economics, philosophy and cognitive science to explore why societies and institutions persist with models that have become inadequate, even as evidence accumulates that those models need to change. Climate change provides a powerful case study of this broader phenomenon.

Frédéric said: "Humanity has never been more aware of the risks of climate change, yet our collective response remains short of what we are told by leading authorities is needed.

“The problem is no longer a lack of knowledge. We know a great deal about the risks we face, so the big question is why that knowledge has not translated into more decisive action.”

“This event is a chance to get under the skin of that question. I’ll explore why societies and institutions can become trapped in models that were once extraordinarily successful but increasingly fail to reflect the world around them—and what might enable us to move beyond them.”

The debate will be followed by an open question and answer session, with the audience invited to put their views to the speakers, before coffee and networking.

The event runs from 2pm to 4pm and is expected to draw people from Edinburgh's finance, policy and academic communities, as well as students and members of the public with an interest in climate change. Those interested in attending can register for free through Eventbrite.

Simon Thompson, former Managing Director of the Global Capacity Building Coalition, and author of “Green and Sustainable Finance: Principles and Practice in Banking, Investment and Insurance,” a standard text for financiers and students globally.

As founding chair of the UK’s Sustainable Finance Education Charter, he helped place sustainability at the heart of financial-sector education and skills development.

Simon said: “These are vital questions to get to grips with. For anyone working in finance, holding a leadership role, with an academic interest or working on the environment, this is a must-attend event.

“We hope it will give people the knowledge and confidence to go away and question their own practices in their own industries.”

Panmure House has stood in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town since 1691 and is recognised as a cornerstone of Scotland's intellectual heritage.

It was Adam Smith's home from 1778 until his death in 1790 and became a meeting place for the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.

In 2008, Edinburgh Business School & Heriot-Watt University undertook to rescue this historic building from dereliction. Following a 10-year, £5.6m renovation, Panmure was formally opened in November 2018.

It was here that Smith worked on later editions of The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

Those interested in attending can register for free through Eventbrite.

To learn more, visit: panmurehouse.org