GREEN FINANCE: GREEN BOND DIRECTIONS COP22 Highlights

The 'GREEN FINANCE: GREEN BOND DIRECTIONS COP22 Highlights' report by the Climate Bonds Initiative details the rapid growth of the green bond market in 2016, emphasizing its role in funding climate mitigation and adaptation to meet Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It highlights the shift toward private sector issuance, the emergence of China as a dominant market, and the necessity of reaching USD 1 trillion in annual issuance by 2020 to substantively address climate change.

• The green bond market experienced significant growth in 2016, with issuance on track to more than double the 2015 levels. Moody's estimated that 2016 issuance would reach USD 80 billion.
• China is positioned to become the world's largest green bond market, driven by government action and demonstration issuance. Other emerging markets showing growth include India, Brazil, and Mexico.
• The majority of green bond proceeds are directed toward mitigation, specifically clean energy, energy efficiency, and low carbon transport, which account for approximately 75% of funds. Within this, wind and solar projects dominate clean energy, while low carbon buildings dominate energy efficiency.
• Financing for climate adaptation is increasing, rising from nearly zero in 2011 to 5% of total issuance. This growth is primarily led by municipalities in the US and other regions funding water system upgrades and storm water improvements.
• There has been a major shift toward private sector issuance; corporations and banks grew from zero issuance in 2010 to representing 66% of the market in 2016.
• The Climate Bonds Initiative posits that to make a substantive contribution to climate change, annual green bond issuance needs to reach USD 1 trillion by 2020.
• Market governance is supported by the voluntary Green Bond Principles (GBP) and the science-based Climate Bonds Standard. National schemes in China and India are broadly consistent with these frameworks.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (2016). GREEN FINANCE: GREEN BOND DIRECTIONS COP22 Highlights. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/COP22_Directions_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. GREEN FINANCE: GREEN BOND DIRECTIONS COP22 Highlights. 2016. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/COP22_Directions_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=GREEN FINANCE: GREEN BOND DIRECTIONS COP22 Highlights |date=2016 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/COP22_Directions_WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiative2016green, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{GREEN FINANCE: GREEN BOND DIRECTIONS COP22 Highlights}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/COP22_Directions_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }