Sustainable Finance helps move the resources people need to develop a just and prosperous world. As the key enabler for all other areas of change, we work to transform the financial system by partnering with the public and private sectors, ensuring a resilient, just, and zero-emission future for all.
The challenge
While progress has been made toward mobilizing climate finance in recent years, reaching almost $1.3 trillion in 2021-2022, it’s not nearly enough. According to recent scenarios, the investment required to combat climate change will reach over $10 trillion annually by 2030, putting us more than 80% behind.
The money is there, but finance must flow in the right direction as quickly as possible — away from unequally distributed, high-carbon activities — to prevent the most dire impacts.
To truly unlock sustainable finance at scale, we need to build bridges across a range of sustainability issues by identifying public and private finance levers and pathways to drive equitable mitigation and adaptation.
The opportunity
As calls for financial system reforms gain momentum, there is an opportunity to shift the conversation from commitments to real-world benefits for all members of society. Sustainable Finance ensures funds flow to key sectors and communities, steering critical transitions and aligning financial frameworks with climate and development goals at the global, local, and sectoral levels.
Governments that effectively deploy public finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation open up substantial opportunities, driving down the costs of cutting-edge technologies and supporting communities in transition.
The private sector also has a central role to play. The business community can help turn the tide in favor of climate action through sustainability disclosures, innovative financial structures, and responsible political engagement.
Our approach
Fundamental changes in global financial and economic systems must take place to foster a resilient, just, and prosperous world.
We do this by:
Sparking climate action investment
We work to ensure that investments by the public and private sectors enable a virtuous cycle of climate action.
Mobilizing and shifting finance from top-emitters
We advocate for G20 countries to use the key levers of financial regulation, fiscal policy, and public finance to align and mobilize capital with Paris Agreement goals and drive significant progress towards deploying sustainable finance at scale globally.
Centering community development
We help trigger economic development and support mitigation and adaptation strategies that ensure investments in emissions reductions benefit all communities and protect them from the impacts of climate change.
Impact
These are the outcomes we’re working to achieve:
Sustainable Finance team
