Statkraft holds third Climate Roundtable

The group was personally invited to the meeting by Statkraft CEO Christian Rynning-Tønnesen who is broadly engaged with the climate-energy nexus.

Three main topics were discussed: international climate strategy post Paris, green growth and competitiveness and responsible leadership.

“We had a historic agreement in Paris, with almost all countries adopting the first-ever legally binding global climate deal. All countries have set national climate targets. The challenge going forward is: What to do from here?” Rynning-Tønnesen says.

Lively discussions

Climate Roundtable sparked lively and substantive discussions.


Felipe Calderón, former President of Mexico and Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, addressed the overarching topics and the legacy of the Paris climate agreement.

Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment, Vidar Helgesen, gave his views on the responsibilities of nation states post Paris.

The Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, is also known as the founder of the two degrees climate theory. Schellnhuber presented to the roundtable the latest scientific evidence for climate change.

Laura Cozzi of the International Energy Agency (IEA) talked about the ongoing energy transition and the world energy outlook post Paris.

Andrew S. Winston, author of The Big Pivot and business strategy expert, addressed responsible leadership and global collaboration that lead to sustainable growth.

New initiatives emerging

Statkraft Climate Roundtable was organised for the first time in 2013. Since then, several new partnerships and initiatives have emerged from the meetings.
Last year, Statkraft and Xynteo launched the Energy and Climate Zone, a digital information arena that provides easy access to the latest insights on climate science, economics and finance, policy and renewable energy.

Together with the Grantham Research Institute, Statkraft has started a three-year partnership on low-carbon economy research.

Climate optimist

Rynning-Tønnesen summed up the meeting and said he is personally a climate optimist. “I believe there are three driving forces that will ensure that we actually succeed with mitigating climate change: The first is investors taking it forward, because it pays off. The second is sustainable business models that are arising in disruptive markets. The third is innovation coming in as the unknown factor of the equation.”