Green Bonds – A Bridge to the SDGs

The document examines how green bonds support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically highlighting six goals that receive direct benefits from green investment. It emphasizes that climate action is a crosscutting theme necessary for the success of all SDGs and calls for increased climate risk disclosure across all thematic bond labels to ensure long-term sustainability.

• Climate action is a crosscutting theme that impacts all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, as climate change is a global issue affecting all sectors and countries. The document asserts that "Urgent action to combat climate change and minimize its disruptions is integral to the successful implementation of the SDGs."
• Six specific SDGs receive the most direct benefits from green bond investment, particularly in emerging economies: Clean water and sanitation (SDG6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7), Industry Innovation & Infrastructure (SDG9), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11), Climate Action (SDG13), and Life on Land (SDG15).
• Between 2007 and June 2018, the allocation of green bond proceeds was dominated by Energy (40%) and Buildings (24%), followed by Transport (15%), Water (11%), Waste (4%), Adaptation (3%), and Land Use (3%).
• There is a need for a "climate risk lens" and improved disclosure across all thematic bonds—including social, sustainability, ESG, and SDG bonds—to prevent short-term social gains from being undermined by long-term climate instability. The document notes that some ESG-labelled bonds, such as those from Münchener Hypothekenbank, lack necessary energy efficiency disclosure to assess their climate profile.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (2018). Green Bonds – A Bridge to the SDGs. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Green-Bonds-A-Bridge-to-the-SDGs.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. Green Bonds – A Bridge to the SDGs. 2018. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Green-Bonds-A-Bridge-to-the-SDGs.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Green Bonds – A Bridge to the SDGs |date=July 2018 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Green-Bonds-A-Bridge-to-the-SDGs.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiative2018green, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{Green Bonds – A Bridge to the SDGs}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Green-Bonds-A-Bridge-to-the-SDGs.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }