Central banks have a privileged position at the heart of the financial and monetary system, with enormous resources at their disposal. Though the Bank of England has publicly recognised the threat posed by climate change, it has received criticism for being too slow to to support the low carbon transition, and for inadvertently supporting high-carbon sectors through its corporate bond purchases.

On 15th May Positive Money will launch a new paper, ‘A Green Bank of England’, setting out why and how the Bank of England should be hardwired for sustainability. Our paper considers the Bank of England’s record on climate change, concluding that the Bank’s mandate needs reform so that both monetary policy and financial regulation address this unprecedented challenge to our economy.

The launch event will see Positive Money economist Rob Macquarie introduce the report, with responses from a panel featuring Chair of the UK's Committee on Climate Change, Lord Deben, Shadow Minister for International Climate Change, Barry Gardiner MP, Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Spokesperson, Baroness Featherstone, and other speakers, to be confirmed. The discussion will be chaired by The Guardian’s Environmental Correspondent, Fiona Harvey.