Energy Efficiency North America

Energy Efficiency: Sustainable Urban Development in North America - An opportunity for Danish system-exports across the value chain

The built environment is central to solving climate change, social and environmental issues, while delivering economic growth, resiliency and livability for societies. The numbers speak for themselves - 62% of global GHG emissions come from the built environment; 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050; and 75% of the globe’s natural resources are used in the built environment.

Leadership, sustainable finance and a transformation of the existing building stock are required to tackle a challenge no private or public stakeholder can solve alone. This challenge represents an opportunity for Danish system-exports across the value chain within sustainable urban development, as Denmark has globally leading solutions ranging from design and engineering to materials and technology providers.

In North America the trends and demand are clear. Federal, state and provincial legislatures, as well as municipalities and regional actors across the US and Canada, are implementing policy and regulations driving energy efficiency upgrades of existing buildings, life cycle assessment of new builds and more and more ambitious sustainable building standards. The private sector – pension funds, asset owners and managers, banks, developers and private real estate companies – have sustainability and ESG frameworks in place, and these factors work together to open a market position for Danish exports.

Danish companies have a competitive advantage having developed solutions and ways-of-working under innovative and ambitious framework conditions in their home market. Denmark has experience in leveraging public-private partnership, progressive policy and regulation, and integration across the value to deliver sustainable urban development.

In this session we dive into sustainability and energy efficiency in the built environment. The speakers will present their assessment of the opportunity in North America for Danish system-exports within sustainable urban development, and share the ambitions for future cooperation with Danish companies in this space.  

Agenda:  

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Introduction to energy efficiency in North America – the Danish Sustainable Urban Development Consortium and a Toronto Flagship
• Urban Partners, HLA & Rambøll: Sustainable Urban Development – why it matters and the opportunity for Danish solutions across the value chain
• EIFO: Sustainable Urban Development financing – the role of sustainable financing to develop relevant projects for Danish companies
• Q&A with the audience

Speakers:

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Karina Bech, Consul General & Trade Commissioner, Toronto and Head of Energy Efficiency, North America
• Urban Partners: Thure Krarup, Director, Head of Global Stakeholder Relations
• Henning Larsen Architects: Signe Kongsbro, Global Design Director, Urbanism, Partner
• Rambøll: Søren Brønnum, Managing Director, Buildings
• EIFO: Jakob Pilegaard Hansen, Director, DK Large Corporates