Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019

The 2019 Global Landscape of Climate Finance report finds that annual climate finance reached an average of USD 579 billion in 2017/2018, a 25% increase over 2015/2016. While renewable energy remains the dominant sector, there is significant growth in low-carbon transport and public adaptation finance. However, the report emphasizes that current investment levels are grossly insufficient to meet 1.5 °C goals, and that finance for fossil fuel supply infrastructure continues to far outweigh clean energy investment.

• Annual tracked climate finance for the 2017/2018 period averaged USD 579 billion, marking a 25% increase (USD 116 billion) from the 2015/2016 average. Flows peaked at a record USD 612 billion in 2017 before dropping 11% to USD 546 billion in 2018.
• Private finance provided the majority of climate finance, averaging USD 326 billion annually (56% of total flows) in 2017/2018. Corporations were the largest private source, contributing USD 183 billion per year on average.
• Public finance averaged USD 253 billion annually in 2017/2018, representing 44% of total commitments. Development finance institutions (DFIs) provided the bulk of this, totaling USD 213 billion annually.
• Renewable energy generation was the primary destination for climate finance, averaging USD 337 billion annually (58% of global flows). Low-carbon transport was the fastest-growing sector, with average annual finance rising 54% from 2015/2016 to USD 141 billion in 2017/2018.
• Adaptation finance increased by 35% to an annual average of USD 30 billion in 2017/2018, though it still only represents 5% of total tracked finance. This amount is significantly lower than the estimated USD 180 billion required annually between 2020 and 2030.
• Investment in fossil fuel supply infrastructure continues to greatly exceed clean energy investment. In 2017/2018, average annual finance for fossil fuel supply included USD 468 billion for upstream oil and gas, USD 253 billion for downstream oil and gas, and USD 79 billion for coal mining.
• A strong domestic preference persists, with 76% of climate finance (USD 438 billion) spent in the same country where it was sourced in 2017/2018. Non-OECD countries received 61% of total flows, averaging USD 356 billion annually.
• Market-rate debt was the most used financial instrument, averaging USD 316 billion annually (55% of total). Total debt (including low-cost project debt) averaged USD 380 billion annually, or 66% of all tracked finance.
• East Asia & Pacific was the largest regional provider and destination for climate finance, averaging USD 238 billion per year in 2017/2018.

APA

Buchner, B., Clark, A., Falconer, A., Macquarie, R., Meattle, C., Tolentino, R., & Wetherbee, C. (2019). Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019. Climate Policy Initiative. https://climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/GLCF-2019.pdf

Chicago

Buchner, Barbara, Alex Clark, Angela Falconer, Rob Macquarie, Chavi Meattle, Rowena Tolentino, and Cooper Wetherbee. Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019. Climate Policy Initiative, 2019. https://climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/GLCF-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{buchner2019global, author = {Buchner, Barbara and Clark, Alex and Falconer, Angela and Macquarie, Rob and Meattle, Chavi and Tolentino, Rowena and Wetherbee, Cooper}, title = {{Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/GLCF-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }