Agenda – Carbon Forward Expo London 2026

08.00   Registration and coffee

09.30    Removals 1: The state of CDR

Introduction to CDR as an nascent market; Current and future supply and demand trends in CDR; Regulatory and compliance developments in CDR; What’s the ‘so ‘? Quick fire predictions for the CDR market to 2030.

Moderator:
Richard Barker, Partner, Counteract

Panellists to be announced

10:30   Morning coffee

11.00   Removals 2: CDR as an Emerging Investment Asset Class

This session offers practical insights into how companies and investors can engage in and structure scalable carbon removal investments – and how early participation may create strategic advantages in an emerging market.

11:45   Removals 3: Why and how should companies invest in/buy CDR?

How does CDR figure in corporate low carbon transition plans?; How are companies approaching their CDR purchasing?; Who is involved in decision making?; What factors differentiate different CDR projects/off-takes? CDR and price.

12:30   Lunch and Start-up Pitch Hubs 

13:30   Removals 4: CDR Solutions and Projects Showcase

Pathway overview; Understanding delivery risk; Project profiles and costs; Strategic optionality; Project offtake profiles

14:15   Project Development: From seed to sale 

What can developers, standards bodies, rating agencies, investors and buyers do to streamline the process and move high-quality projects from concept to investment and ultimately to market?

Moderator: Guy Warren, Hamerkop

Panellists to be announced 

15:00   Afternoon coffee

15:30   Project Development: From seed to sale continued – Project developer case studies.

16.00   All into plenary

17:30   Close of day one

08.00   Registration and Coffee

09.30   Mandatory carbon reporting and financial disclosure

Sustainability reporting, climate-related financial disclosures, Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions, transition plans, carbon credit use and claims.

Speaker to be announced

10.30   Morning coffee

11.00   Part 1: Why equity and credit investors are paying attention to carbon markets?

As CBAM kicks-in, free allocations are phased out, and industrial sectors face rising compliance obligations, equities start to trade on carbon market signals and investors are paying attention. Understanding carbon is becoming essential to understanding future corporate earnings, competitiveness and valuation.

In part 1 we look at transmission channels of carbon pricing to earnings and how this is affecting firms. We then consider how to think about carbon pricing from the perspectives it effect on equities; its effect on inflation and the effect on credit default swap.

Moderator:
Jan Ahrens, Co-founder, Transition Metrics

Panellists to be announced

11.45   Why equity and credit investors are paying attention to carbon markets?

In part 2 we look at how you incorporate carbon pricing into your work

Moderator:
Philipp Ruf, Co-founder, Transition Metrics

Panellist:
Franzkiska Jahn-Maddell, Director Global Stewardship, MFS Investment Management

Additional panellists to be announced

12.30   Lunch and Start-up Pitch Hubs

13.30   Audit and verification: How do you account for and verify carbon-related assets, liabilites and transactions?

How do you value carbon credits? How do they appear on the balance sheet? How do auditors verify them? What assurance is needed?

Presenter to be announced

15.20   Afternoon coffee

16.00   All into plenary

17.30   Close of day one 

08.00   Women in Carbon Breakfast

08.00   Registration and coffee

09.00   Opening remarks from Carbon Forward

09.10   Keynote: Global carbon market convergence

The global climate and economic landscape is changing rapidly. Energy costs remain elevated, geopolitical priorities are shifting, and major economies are pursuing increasingly divergent approaches to climate policy and industrial strategy. At the same time, European industries face mounting pressure from declining free allocation, rising carbon costs and intensifying international competition. Against this backdrop, what is the future of carbon markets? This keynote will explore the pathways towards greater international market convergence, the role of carbon pricing in accelerating decarbonisation, and the policy solutions needed to balance climate ambition, energy security and economic competitiveness.

Keynote:
Russell Hardy, CEO, Vitol 

09.40   From NDCs to international carbon trade: Who will buy, who will sell, and will it be enough?

As countries move from target-setting to implementation, international carbon trade is emerging as an increasingly important mechanism for achieving climate goals. This session will examine how carbon markets under Article 6 are expected to function in practice, assess which countries are likely to become buyers and sellers of emissions reductions, and evaluate progress against Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term decarbonisation pathways. Speakers will explore the potential scale of international carbon trade, the adequacy of projected supply and demand, and whether current trajectories are sufficient to meet global climate objectives.

Presenter:
Stephen Gill, Director, Carbon Limits 

Other presenter to be announced

10.10   The politics of high carbon prices

How much political appetite exists for sustained carbon prices above €100/t? As governments seek to accelerate decarbonisation while maintaining industrial competitiveness, policymakers face increasingly difficult choices. This session will examine the political and economic constraints associated with higher carbon prices, explore the extent to which emissions reductions have been driven by energy efficiency improvements versus industrial relocation, and assess the role of complementary measures such as electrification, carbon removals, international credits and carbon border adjustment mechanisms. The discussion will consider whether current policy frameworks are sufficient to deliver net zero while preserving Europe’s industrial base.

Presenters to be announced

10.40   Morning coffee

11.10   PACM and Article 6: Building the next generation of international carbon markets

As international carbon markets evolve, the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) and Article 6 frameworks are expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping future carbon trading systems. This session will explore how emerging rules and governance structures are influencing market integrity, project eligibility and the development of international carbon market cooperation. Discussion will focus on the growing convergence between voluntary and compliance markets, evolving demand signals, pricing dynamics, and the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling international carbon trading.

Moderator to be announced

Panellist:
Gabriel Labatte, Head of the Climate Mitigation Unit, UN Environment
Dexter Lee, Head of Carbon Markets Negotiations, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Another panellist to be announced 

11.50   CORSIA: Could the Scheme become the leading international carbon market standard?

As the aviation sector becomes the first industry to adopt a global market-based mechanism for emissions reduction, CORSIA is increasingly viewed as a potential model for future international carbon market frameworks. This session will examine the relationship between CORSIA demand and Article 6-linked carbon credits, the challenge of scaling sufficient volumes of high-integrity supply, and the rigorous requirements surrounding additionality, permanence and verification. Speakers will explore how efforts to improve Article 6 alignment, market liquidity and pricing transparency could strengthen confidence in the system, and consider whether elements of the CORSIA framework could eventually be extended to sectors such as road transport and maritime shipping.

Panellists to be announced

12.30   Lunch

13.45   The Voluntary Carbon Market: Turning point or tipping point?

The voluntary carbon market is undergoing a period of significant transformation as integrity initiatives and new quality benchmarks reshape both supply and demand. This session will provide a deep dive into how the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) and other market reforms are influencing project eligibility, buyer behaviour, pricing dynamics and market liquidity. Speakers will assess whether these developments represent a turning point for market credibility and growth, and examine the increasing convergence between voluntary and compliance carbon markets.

Panellist:
Mark Kenber, Executive Director, Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI)

More panellists to be announced

14.30   The State of Play: The future of international offsets in compliance markets

As governments seek more cost-effective pathways to decarbonisation, the role of international offsets within emissions trading systems remains one of the most contested issues in climate policy. This panel will debate whether compliance markets should allow international offsets, the implications for carbon prices and market integrity, and the potential interaction between offsets and carbon border adjustment mechanisms. The discussion will explore the growing influence of CORSIA, evolving national approaches to offset use, barriers to greater international cooperation and the potential consequences of failing to develop more interconnected global carbon markets.

Panellists:
Sam Van de Plas, Policy Director, Carbon Market Watch
Adam Schoenberg, Managing Director, Carbon Markets and Transactions, Conservation International (CI)

More panellists to be announced

15.15   Afternoon tea

15.45   Public-private partnerships in action: Scaling carbon market supply 

The success of international carbon markets will depend on the ability to develop sufficient volumes of high-quality emissions reductions. This session will examine how governments, development agencies and private sector actors are working together to catalyse investment in carbon market supply. Speakers will explore the role of aid programmes, sovereign purchasing strategies, corresponding adjustments and Article 6 cooperation in supporting market development. The discussion will also consider how growing demand from CORSIA and sovereign buyers can be balanced with the need to maintain market integrity and long-term supply availability.

Presenters to be announced 

16.30   The next carbon winners: Where is the opportunity?

As international carbon markets mature and become increasingly interconnected, significant questions remain about future pricing and investment opportunities. This forward-looking session will explore a range of market scenarios, from business-as-usual development through to deeper integration between compliance markets, Article 6 mechanisms, CORSIA and the voluntary carbon market. Speakers will examine long-term price forecasts, emerging sources of demand, and the implications for investors, project developers and policymakers seeking to achieve global climate goals.

Panellists to be announced

17.15    Close of day two

08.00   Women in Carbon Breakfast

08.00   Registration and Coffee

09.10   All in Plenary

09.40   EU ETS 2 Unpacked- what will the future hold for Europe’s new carbon market?

As EU ETS2 introduces an upstream carbon price for road transport and heating fuels from 2028, this session will examine how its cap-and-trade design, allowance supply mechanisms, and price stabilisation measures are expected to shape Europe’s next major carbon market. Discussion will also explore wider socio-economic implications, including impacts on energy costs, inflationary pressures across the EU economy, distributional concerns for households and industry, and the potential for political resistance to the scheme

Session to be confirmed

10.10   Navigating the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism 

Explore the CBAM, covering its policy drivers, sectoral coverage and implementation timeline. Learn how CBAM works and understand its risks and opportunities.

Presenter:
Nic Mason, Product Consultant, Redshaw Advisors 

10.40   Morning Coffee

11.10   EU CBAM and industrial decarbonisation: Carbon pricing, trade and competitiveness

This session will examine the implementation of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and its interaction with EU ETS policy in supporting carbon leakage protection and industrial decarbonisation. Discussion will also address implications for global trade flows, industrial competitiveness, supply chains and the international alignment of carbon pricing systems

Panellist:
Hesham Yehia, Group Sustainability Director, Fertiglobe
Marcel Duits, Chief CBAM Officer, Dubrink

11.50   EU CBAM and global trade

Panellist:
Ben Crick, Senior Economist, Fastmarkets

More panellists to be announced

12.30   Lunch

13.45   A global tour of some of the most active and fast-evolving carbon market regions

Part 1 – Asia

Moderator:
Steven Macelino, Deputy Chair of International Affairs, ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets

Panellists to be announced

Part 2 – ANZ

To be confirmed

14.35   A global tour of some of the most active and fast-evolving carbon market regions

Part 3 – Africa and Article 6

Panellist:
Felix Mechnig-Giordano, CEO, Terraviva

Part 4 – South America

Panellist to be announced

15.15   Afternoon tea

15.45   A global tour of some of the most active and fast-evolving carbon market regions

Part 5 – North America

North America is demonstrating how compliance carbon markets can evolve at scale, with the maturity of WCI, the political debates surrounding RGGI, and Canada’s use of carbon pricing to support industrial decarbonisation and CCS.

Presenter:
Lenny Hochschild, Founding Partner, Environmental Commodity Partners LP

16.30   Back to Plenary

The agenda for this Stream is being developed.