Mobilising International Climate Finance

This report by the World Resources Institute analyzes the 'Fast-Start Finance' (FSF) period from 2010 to 2012, during which developed countries reported mobilizing US$ 35 billion for climate change in developing countries. The study evaluates the distribution, transparency, and effectiveness of these funds, noting a heavy bias toward mitigation over adaptation and a lack of strict criteria for 'new and additional' funding.

• Developed countries exceeded their Fast-Start Finance (FSF) target of US$ 30 billion, reporting a total of US$ 35 billion mobilized between 2010 and 2012. However, the report notes that these figures should be viewed with caution because countries used divergent definitions of climate finance and generally lacked strict thresholds to determine if the funding was 'new and additional'.
• Climate finance during the FSF period was heavily skewed toward mitigation and REDD+, which received 71% of funding (US$ 22.6 billion), while adaptation received only 18% (US$ 5.7 billion). Mitigation finance was primarily focused on Asia, whereas 40% of adaptation finance was directed toward Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
• The delivery of FSF relied heavily on loans, guarantees, and insurance (48%) compared to grants and related instruments (46%). Furthermore, only about 34% of the finance targeted governments in developing countries directly; the majority was channeled through intermediaries, with approximately 66% delivered bilaterally.
• The distribution of FSF did not show a strong correlation with the greenhouse gas emission levels or the climate vulnerability of recipient countries. Instead, the geographic distribution closely mirrored that of non-climate-related Official Development Assistance (ODA), with nearly 80% of FSF reported as ODA.
• Transparency in reporting varied significantly among the 37 reporting countries. While some transitioned to full project-level reporting, others provided limited or aggregate information. The report highlights Germany as an example of a country that specified a baseline year (2009) and used carbon market revenues to ensure additionality.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Mobilising International Climate Finance. https://www.wri.org/research/mobilising-international-climate-finance

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Mobilising International Climate Finance. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/mobilising-international-climate-finance.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Mobilising International Climate Finance |url=https://www.wri.org/research/mobilising-international-climate-finance |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendmobilising, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Mobilising International Climate Finance}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/mobilising-international-climate-finance}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }