WRI Finance Center

📝New working paper from WRI Finance researcher Natalia Alayza: "UNTANGLING THE FINANCE GOAL: An introduction to the new collective quantified goal." By 2025, negotiators must agree on the new collective quantified goal ("#NCQG") to succeed the $100B #climatefinance goal, using the previous goal as a floor. They will do this in the context of developing countries needs and priorities and countries' common-but-differentiated responsibility and respective capacities. But much remains to be decided. Key questions: 📅 TIMEFRAME: when will it cover? up to 2050, or shorter increments? can it be adjusted along the way? 🌀 SCOPE: what will it it cover? and especially, will it include #lossanddamage? ⚖️ QUANTUM: how much? and how will this relate to the other elements? ✋ CONTRIBUTORS: who contributes? are there different roles for different sets of countries? 🔍 TRANSPARENCY: how's it measured? what can we learn about reporting, quality and predictability from the $100B? Negotiators will start considering #NCQG this #COP28 including via a High Level Ministerial on Dec. 3 -- learn the basics now with our short working paper, out now! 👇 https://lnkd.in/ginXnE-u

As global demand for critical metals grows, African nations—home to 30% of the world's mineral resources—are under the spotlight. Chinese mining operations in countries like the DRC, Zimbabwe, and Zambia face scrutiny over environmental and human rights concerns, while China's financing of coal plants further complicates Africa's clean energy transition. Join us on September 9 for an expert panel featuring lawyers focused on integrating environmental justice into Chinese investments in Africa. Hear their stories, including legal cases and advocacy efforts in South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, and Malawi. Environmental Lawyer JingJing Zhang 张兢兢 (Center for Transnational Environmental Accountability) will introduce the speakers, who are part of a CTEA fellowship group visiting Washington D.C. RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/eQ6Tqcbv

"To achieve meaningful progress, scaling up both public and private investment in clean energy initiatives is essential. As China shifts its investment focus away from overseas coal-fired power plants, there are increasing opportunities to redirect funding into sub-Saharan Africa's distributed renewable energy sector. However, this requires a transition from traditional financing models used for utility-scale projects to innovative approaches tailored to the needs of decentralized renewable energy systems." 📰 Read the full article from Song Jing, an Associate with WRI's China Sustainable Transition Center and Benson Ireri, the Africa lead of WRI's Energy Access Program: https://bit.ly/4cUzh0i #GreenFinance #FOCAC #RenewableEnergy #EnergySecurity #GreenTransition

The global financial system is at a critical juncture. 🌍 The global financial system is essential to the flow of finances between countries and in responding to shocks to the global economy. With challenges like pandemics, debt, wars, and especially climate change, the system is being pushed to its limits. Key stakeholders from governments, the economic and financial community, and the climate community must work together to address systemic issues. The need for reforms is clear, but the path forward requires collaboration and innovative thinking. Can the global community rise to the challenge and build a system fit for a low-carbon, climate-resilient future? The WRI Finance Center explores: https://bit.ly/3yVATcm #SustainableFinance #SustainableDevelopment #ClimateFinance

Until recently, companies could decide whether to share information about their GHG emissions and climate risk. But that’s changing rapidly. A suite of new laws will soon make #ClimateDisclosures mandatory across much of the global economy. Amanda Carter gives the lay of the land on #ClimateRisk reporting in her latest article: https://bit.ly/3JPWggY

Finance for clean energy is critical to reaching our global climate targets.🎯 Despite their net zero commitments, many banks continue to commit large amounts of finance to fossil fuels and not nearly enough to clean energy. Check out our new Net Zero Tracker to see where the 25 banks in our sample stand on this issue and others! ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/er6pdHi8 #GreenFinance #GreenBanking #NetZero #SustainableFinance #Banking

This week WRI's China Finance Director Shuang Liu joined The China in Africa Podcast to discuss the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit and the key issue of energy generation and distribution.   In the interview, Shuang identifies bankability issues with renewable energy projects as a topic to watch at the meetings.   “Project developers of renewable energy in Africa have to work on different proposals to fit into the bankability criteria that different financial institutions can use.”   The lack of consistent criteria adds to the perceived bankability issues in the region and creates more work for those seeking funding. Shuang hopes that her work with partners on the sidelines of #FOCAC can help identify common criteria that Chinese financial institutions can use to establish a more coherent way of looking at project development in Africa and spur greater investment in #RenewableEnergy projects in the region. 🎧 Listen now: https://bit.ly/3AxngjM  

What if finance and forests could mutually benefit each other? 💭 This is not a far-fetched idea; businesses need forests to thrive. Forests can provide benefits like:   💧 Clean water supplies and improved watershed health ☔ Protection from extreme weather events like flooding and droughts   🌳 Natural resources for industry   🔋 Energy security Forests need finance, as well. Deforestation, catastrophic wildfires, and climate change are putting forests at risk. Without increased investment, forests will continue to degrade and decline, to the detriment of companies and natural landscapes alike. In a recent interview with RE:TV, Cities4Forests expert, Todd Gartner, explains how innovative tools to monitor forest health can drive large scale investment in natural capital, making forest health a profitable venture. 💰🌱    Find the full interview here 🎥: https://bit.ly/46PdEwP 

More than 650 financial institutions, representing 40% of global private financial assets, have made commitments to reach “#NetZero” through the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), with more doing so independently. To better understand these commitments, WRI researchers analyzed 25 banks, their net-zero pledges, and what they are doing to deliver on the potential for banks to finance real-economy shifts towards decarbonization, climate resilience and a just transition. You can check out their findings in our new Financial Institutions Net Zero Tracker! 👇 https://lnkd.in/er6pdHi8 #SustainableFinance #SustainableBanking #GreenFinance

What exactly are Nationally Determined Contributions? And why are they so critical to halting climate change? WRI Climate experts explain why these national climate commitments are our roadmap to a sustainable future and the importance of raising ambition in this upcoming #NDC cycle: https://bit.ly/4fvCAgX