Updated view on the Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019

The report updates global climate finance averages for 2017/18 to USD 574 billion per year and provides a preliminary 2019 estimate of USD 608–622 billion. It highlights that mitigation dominates finance (93%), with renewable energy as the largest sector. The document also analyzes the disruptive effects of COVID-19, noting a tension between 'green' recovery packages and significant stimulus funding for carbon-intensive sectors.

• Updated analysis shows that annual climate finance flows averaged USD 574 billion in 2017 and 2018, with USD 608 billion in 2017 and USD 540 billion in 2018.
• Preliminary estimates for 2019 suggest climate finance reached between USD 608 and 622 billion, a 6% to 8% increase over the 2017/18 average, potentially returning to 2017 record levels.
• Mitigation accounts for the vast majority of climate finance (93%), with renewable energy being the largest end-sector (59% of all finance) and low-carbon transport the second largest (24%).
• Adaptation finance represents only 5% of total climate finance, though it nearly doubled from USD 24.7 billion in 2017 to USD 35.4 billion in 2018.
• The report identifies a significant gap between current investment and the levels required for a 1.5°C scenario, citing needs of USD 1.6 to 3.8 trillion for the global energy system supply side through 2050 and USD 180 billion annually for adaptation.
• The COVID-19 pandemic created conflicting financial trends: while 'green' recovery packages totaled USD 178 billion, stimulus funding for carbon-intensive sectors reached USD 866 billion by early October 2020, with 56% of that in Asia.
• Methodological updates now categorize state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and state-owned financial institutions (SOFIs) as public actors; in 2017/18, SOEs and SOFIs each accounted for 4% of total climate finance.

APA

Macquarie, R., Naran, B., Rosane, P., Solomon, M., & Wetherbee, C. (2020). Updated view on the Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Updated-View-on-the-2019-Global-Landscape-of-Climate-Finance.pdf

Chicago

Macquarie, Rob, Baysa Naran, Paul Rosane, Matthew Solomon, and Cooper Wetherbee. Updated view on the Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019. Climate Policy Initiative, 2020. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Updated-View-on-the-2019-Global-Landscape-of-Climate-Finance.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{macquarie2020updated, author = {Macquarie, Rob and Naran, Baysa and Rosane, Paul and Solomon, Matthew and Wetherbee, Cooper}, title = {{Updated view on the Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Updated-View-on-the-2019-Global-Landscape-of-Climate-Finance.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }