2026 Accountability in a Sustainable World Conference
The sixth annual Accountability in a Sustainable World Conference was held virtually on September 23–24, 2026, during Climate Week NYC. It ran in collaboration with the Sustainable Investment Forum North America, which is held in partnership with the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). Climate Week NYC 2026 drew more than 120,000 participants to over 1,500 events across New York City. The conference is the flagship event of Accountability in a Sustainable World Quarterly. Through plenary addresses, panel discussions, and contributed talks, it asked hard questions about regulation, sustainability reporting, capital allocation, and performance metrics. Sessions examined climate disclosure policy, carbon accounting, measurement and assurance, and how high-quality information can guide responsible investment decisions. The conference is known for candid exchange between academics and practitioners, led by well-informed and often provocative speakers.
Conference Highlights
Recent Developments and Implementation of Sustainability Assurance
Robert Knechel, Moderator University of Florida. Jyoti Vallabh, Partner, Deloitte. Sven Gentner, Head of Unit, European Commission. Marcus Looijenga, Partner, PwC. Roger Simnett, Professorial Research Fellow, Deakin University.
AI in Academia and Knowledge
Soh Young In, Assistant Professor, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Mohan Venkatachalam, RJR Professor, Duke University. Shiva Rajgopal, Roy Bernard Kester and T.W. Byrnes Professor of Accounting and Auditing Chair of the Accounting Division, Columbia Business School. Robert G. Eccles, Visiting Professor of Management Practice, University of Oxford Saïd Business School.
A Perspective from Within the ISSB
Richard Barker, Professor of Accounting, Oxford University.
Day One
| Title (YouTube Link) | Description |
|---|---|
| Chair Opening Remarks | Peter Easton Editor-in-Chief, Accountability in a Sustainable World (ASWQ) Director, Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE) Mendoza College of Business |
| The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Change | Peter Schwartzstein Environmental Journalist and Researcher STIMSON |
| Climate Change in Africa: A Cross-Country Analysis of Unemployment and Migration Effects | Chizoma Duru Economic Consulting Research Analyst Cornerstone Research |
| Planetary Boundaries: The Missing Liabilities of Business | Paolo Perego Professor of Accounting Free University of Bozen-Bolzano |
| How to Live on Earth and Natural Asset Companies | Barbara Porco, Dean and MD, Responsible Business Center – Fordham Gabelli School of Business Douglas Eger, Chairman & CEO, Intrinsic Exchange Group |
| Accounting for Nature: The NAASB | Timothy Hedley, Executive in Residence, Fordham University Barbara Porco, Dean and MD, Responsible Business Center – Fordham Gabelli School of Business |
| The Fiscal Impact of Biodiversity Loss: A Pathway to Conservation Finance | Anya Nakhmurina Associate Professor Yale School of Management |
| What Biodiversity-linked Start-ups Reveal About Financing Nature | William Xiong Assistant Professor of Finance Binghamton University (SUNY) – School of Management Andrew Karolyi Dean, SC Johnson College of Business Cornell SC Johnson College of Business |
| How Green Bonds Trade | Amir Amel-Zadeh Associate Professor of Accounting University of Oxford Saïd Business School |
| Who Labels and What is Priced: Evidence from Third-party Assessments | Brian Gibbons Associate Professor of Finance Oregon State University |
| Making Sustainability Financially Relevant; A Man/Machine Collaboration | Shiva Rajgopal Roy Bernard Kester and T.W. Byrnes Professor of Accounting and Auditing Chair of the Accounting Division Columbia Business School Robert G. Eccles Visiting Professor of Management Practice University of Oxford Saïd Business School |
| AI in Academia and Knowledge | Soh Young In Assistant Professor Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Mohan Venkatachalam RJR Professor Duke University Shiva Rajgopal Roy Bernard Kester and T.W. Byrnes Professor of Accounting and Auditing Chair of the Accounting Division Columbia Business School Robert G. Eccles Visiting Professor of Management Practice University of Oxford Saïd Business School |
| The Upright Project | Mikael Homanen Business Development and Research Partnerships The Upright Project |
| Sustainability at an Inflection Point: Reporting, Trust, and AI | Andrew Jones Principal Researcher The Conference Board Marc Siegel Executive in Residence Responsible Business Center – Fordham Gabelli School of Business |
| Integrated Corporate Carbon Accounting | Gunther Glenk Assistant Professor University of Mannheim |
| Climate Change, GRI and the Global Reporting System | JR Rickertsen Managing Director - Global Corporate Banking, Energy Bank of America Thomas Becker Senior Vice President Government Affairs, Sustainability BMW Group Alexander Bassen Chair of Capital Markets and Management, University of Hamburg and Inaugural Chair, Independent Standards Board (ISB), Greenhouse Gas Protocol Greenhouse Gas Protocol Stefan Reichelstein Endowed Chair in Business Administration, Professor Emeritus University of Mannheim and Stanford University Peter Easton Editor-in-Chief, Accountability in a Sustainable World (ASWQ) Director, Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE) Mendoza College of Business |
| The E-Asset Proto Standard and Distributed Ledger Solutions for E-Ledgers | Karthik Ramanna Professor of Business and Public Policy, University of Oxford Blavatnik School of Government Co-founder, E-ledgers Institute E-ledgers Institute Robert Kaplan Senior Fellow and Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development, Emeritus Co-founder, E-ledgers Institute E-ledgers Institute |
| Carbon Statements and the Green Supply Chain | Hai Lu Professor University of Toronto |
| A Discussion with Vince Forlenza, Chairman of Moody's Corporation | Vincent Forlenza Chairman Moody’s Sunil (Sunny) A. Misser Chief Executive Officer AccountAbility |
Day Two
| Title (YouTube Link) | Description |
|---|---|
| Chair Opening Remarks | Peter Easton Editor-in-Chief, Accountability in a Sustainable World (ASWQ) Director, Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE) Mendoza College of Business |
| A Perspective from Within the ISSB | Richard Barker Professor of Accounting Oxford University |
| Camouflaging in Sustainability Reports | Khrystyna Bochkay Associate Professor of Accounting, Academic advisor at the ISSB University of Miami |
| A Double-Edged Sword | Paul Griffin Emeritus Distinguished Professor 2025-2026 Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professor University of California, Davis |
| From Standards to Practice: Materiality and Implementation of Global Sustainability Reporting | Dianora De Marco Managing Director Ernst & Young US Marc Siegel Executive in Residence Responsible Business Center – Fordham Gabelli School of Business |
| Sustainability Reporting Navigator | Katharina Hombach Professor of Accounting and Corporate Governance Goethe University Frankfurt Maximilian Müller Professor University of Cologne Thorsten Sellhorn Professor LMU München Victor Wagner Assistant Professor Stockholm School of Economics |
| EFRAG: A Chat with the Sustainability Reporting Board Chair | Donato Calace Senior Vice President Partnership & Innovation Datamaran Kerstin Lopatta Professor of Accounting, Auditing and Sustainability Universität Hamburg |
| From Extended Producer Responsibility to AI: Policy Trends in a Fragmented World | Sergey Voropaev Sustainability Director Donato Calace Senior Vice President Partnership & Innovation Datamaran Rebekah Smith Director Regulatory Compliance IBM |
| Does Sustainability Information Help Analysts Make Better Forecasts? | Katharina Weiss Assistant Professor LMU München |
| Sustainability Reporting: A Guide for Professionals and Students | Alan Teixeira Global Director of IFRS Research Deloitte |
| The Financial Times Guide to Sustainability Business | Mary Johnstone-Louis Senior Fellow in Management Practice University of Oxford Saïd Business School |
| Sustainability Reporting and Disclosures | Barbara Porco Dean and MD Responsible Business Center – Fordham Gabelli School of Business |
| The United Kingdom: Global Leader or Outlier in Sustainability Reporting? | Jeremy Osborn Vice President - Management Accounting Innovation, Research & Development Association of International Certified Professional Accountants |
| Stakeholder Frictions and Materiality in Sustainability Reporting | Annita Florou Professor Bocconi University |
| Recent Developments and Implementation of Sustainability Assurance | Robert Knechel Moderator University of Florida Jyoti Vallabh Partner Deloitte Sven Gentner Head of Unit European Commission Marcus Looijenga Partner PwC Roger Simnett Professorial Research Fellow Deakin University |
| Sustainability Reporting: Where We Stand and Where We Go | Jan Niewold Partner Climate Change and Sustainability Services EY Chris Figee CFO KPN Wim Bartels Partner Sustainability Deloitte Jan Bouwens Professor of Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business |
| Critical Issues in Carbon Pricing | Karl Richter Director EngagedX Ulf von Kalckreuth Principal Advisor Deutsche Bundesbank Timothy Youmans Senior Investment Stewardship Advisor Timothy Youmans Alex Flint Executive Director AMS Research Robert G. Eccles Visiting Professor of Management Practice University of Oxford Saïd Business School |
| Do Public Firms Prioritize Domestic Shareholders Over Foreign Shareholders? | Lisa Liu Associate Professor Columbia University |
| Black Lives Matter | Jingdan Tan Assistant Professor in Accounting The Hong Kong Polytechnic University |
| Suggestions for a More Sustainable World from Students from the 2025 Accountability in a Sustainable World Class | Olivia Spraul Graduate of Accountability in a Sustainable World course University of Notre Dame Alex Kruzel CEO & Founder Telesto Strategy |
| Chair Closing Remarks | Editor-in-Chief, Accountability in a Sustainable World (ASWQ) Director, Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE) Mendoza College of Business |