Capital and carbon: green finance leader honoured
Early in his finance career, Martijn Wilder realized that more money needed to be invested in the environment.
The fact that the natural world does not bring commercial economic value in the traditional sense has led to the search for innovative financial tools to unlock green capital.
“And it’s a journey we’re still on,” he told AAP.
Mr Wilder was awarded the second highest award an Australian can receive for his pioneering work in sustainable finance, renewable energy, conservation and climate law.
The Order of Australia recipient is currently managing director of climate investment and consultancy Pollination and has been tasked with chairing and establishing the National Reconstruction Fund.
The Albanian government’s $15 billion federal fund, now two-and-a-half years old, aims to support new industries to diversify the Australian economy beyond “growing and digging things”.
This isn’t his first rodeo at public financial institutions.
Mr Wilder was appointed to chair Low Carbon Australia in 2010; this was the government’s first step towards energy efficiency financing.
He served on the inaugural board of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the nation’s green bank, and from there he chaired the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for nearly six years.
Through appointments from both sides of politics, Mr Wilder has been able to contribute to institutions of lasting impact, and he hopes this work has helped shape the Australian economy to be more innovative and resilient in the face of climate change.
“Australia is a leader in this space,” he said, adding that the recent milestone of the east coast energy grid getting more than half of the supply from renewables “is a remarkable achievement given where we were 15-20 years ago.”
Australia faces a more complex geopolitical situation than 10 years ago, when there was greater international support for a low-carbon transition.
But it underscores that even as the United States turns to fossil fuels, there is a renewed focus elsewhere on diversifying the energy mix to improve security.
Against this backdrop, Mr Wilder sees Australia’s support for public institutions to support new industries and innovation as a welcome constant.
Family, books and sports keep him focused and sane after spending years in such challenging but rewarding roles.
“Tennis, football and swimming – sports are really important.”
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