Climate and Sustainable Finance

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the largest source of adaptation funding. This Policy Brief examined the extent to which current GCF-funded projects and programmes support adaptation at the sub-national or local level in African states. It does so by using the principles of locally led adaptation as a framework through which the portfolio of the GCF is analysed, with the purpose of providing recommendations for how the GCF can better integrate these considerations in its policies and approved activities in the future, especially for its second replenishment period.

A reform of the emissions trading system (ETS) is currently being discussed at EU level. Proposed by the European Commission, this includes the extension of carbon pricing to the sectors of road transport and buildings, as well as the supplementary launch of a Social Climate Fund (SCF) for social compensation. In an open letter, Germanwatch, together with 37 other organizations, calls for the new ETS not to be seen as a further burden for Europeans, but as an effective response to the energy and climate crisis.

This blog series aims to debunk ‘myths’ about trade-offs between climate action and development. Addressing political decision-makers, practitioners in multilateral development banks as well as staff of civil society organisations and the interested public, three blog posts will provide them with evidence to refute widespread misconceptions about the effects of climate action on development. They will also include recommendations for multilateral development banks on how to contribute to strengthening the link between climate action and development and thereby highlight win-win opportunities and avoid trade-offs.

This blog series aims to debunk ‘myths’ about trade-offs between climate action and development. Addressing political decision-makers, practitioners in multilateral development banks as well as staff of civil society organisations and the interested public, three blog posts will provide them with evidence to refute widespread misconceptions about the effects of climate action on development. They will also include recommendations for multilateral development banks on how to contribute to strengthening the link between climate action and development and thereby highlight win-win opportunities and avoid trade-offs.

The climate crisis’ impacts are rapidly growing along with the concurrent need for adaptation investments. Those most vulnerable to climate change’s impacts, however, lack the resources to adequately respond to adaptation needs. The study aims to close a research gap by examining international climate finance’s capacity in mobilising adaptation finance from the private sector in developing countries.

When the G7 leaders met at the end of June 2022 in Elmau, they called on Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to further strengthen ambitious climate action. This policy brief explains what the G7 asked the MDBs to do, why this is important, and what it means in terms of concrete steps that should be taken in the short and medium term (including until COP27) to halt the climate crisis and successfully support the global transformation towards green and resilient economies. In this critical decade of implementation, quick outcomes are more important than ever before and MDBs are called upon to increase their efforts. Especially the World Bank will be assessed in terms of its ability to step up its climate ambitions and to lead the MDBs’ engagement in those areas.

The G7 Leaders’ Summit under the German presidency will take place in Elmau at the end of June. In this blog, we outline three essential issues on the climate agenda that G7 leaders should prioritize if they are to make the summit a success.

At the forthcoming G7 Ministerials this week and next, Germany should push for stronger joint efforts to exit international fossil fuel financing. Considering the latest IPCC findings and the urgent need to stop investment in coal, oil and gas, the financial activities of public finance institutions (PFIs) play an important role to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. This paper analyses the alignment of German and Korean PFIs’ climate and sector strategies with the Paris Agreement and makes recommendations on how their strategies can align with a 1.5°C goal.

With the war against Ukraine dragging on for over a month now, the vulnerabilities of the G7 and, particularly, of low- and middle-income countries have become increasingly visible. As leading industrialised countries and, historically, major contributors to the climate crisis, the G7 will need to live up to their responsibility to support countries in building resilience to climate impacts and other global crises. In this blog, we outline possibilities for the G7 to address the vulnerabilities in their own countries, and far beyond, to increase resilience against future crises while also supporting other nations.

The leading industrialised countries have a particular responsibility to address the climate crisis – but they failed to meet their former commitments. The German G7 presidency now offers the opportunity to take important steps towards a new paradigm for climate finance. Against that backdrop, this policy brief formulates five key asks to the G7 governments.