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Global energy transition investments reached a record USD 2.4 trillion in 2024, yet remain insufficient to meet the 1.5°C pathway. While solar PV and battery storage show strong growth, other technologies like wind and green hydrogen face significant headwinds. Investment is heavily concentrated in China and advanced economies, leaving least developed countries (LDCs) and Sub-Saharan Africa severely underfunded and dependent on international public finance.

The paper analyzes the financing gap in India's iron and steel sector, which is the country's largest industrial GHG emitter. It highlights a risk of carbon lock-in as 196 MTPA of fossil-based capacity is planned for 2021-2038. The authors propose a five-pillar framework—sectoral policies, enabling ecosystems, bankable business models, financing/derisking mechanisms, and financial sector regulations—to transition from fossil-intensive production to low-carbon technologies like green hydrogen-DRI. It details specific instruments such as Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfD), blended debt funds, and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to bridge the investment gap.

The study examines renewable energy financing through public-private partnerships (PPP) in Southeast Asia and Central Asia. It notes that while hydropower has historically dominated PPPs in both regions, there is a rapid shift toward solar and wind projects. In Southeast Asia, the transition is driven by national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions via Nationally Determined Contributions, while Central Asian energy profiles vary between fossil fuel reliance in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and hydroelectric power in Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

The report analyzes China's green finance landscape, noting that while significant progress was made during the 13th Five-Year Plan through top-down policy and the growth of green loans and bonds, current funding levels are insufficient. It estimates that annual investment must increase fourfold to approximately $1.4 trillion to meet 2015 climate goals. The analysis highlights a heavy reliance on public sector funding, with 51% of green finance coming from public sources, and identifies barriers for private sector participation, including high search costs and a lack of incentive structures. The report also examines the potential for 'greening' the Belt and Road Initiative, where half of energy-related investments currently go to fossil fuels, and suggests leveraging fintech and innovative risk-sharing mechanisms to expand the climate finance scale.

China has made significant progress in establishing a green financial system, with green credit and bonds becoming the largest in the world. However, the system remains heavily dominated by public actors, with public sources accounting for 51% of total green finance. To meet its 2015 environmental standards and climate targets, China requires an estimated USD 1.4 trillion in annual investment over the next decade, meaning current finance levels must scale up by at least four times. Key barriers to private capital include a lack of transparency in project pipelines, high search costs for impact investors, and a preference for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in formal financing channels. The report highlights opportunities in green fintech, such as Ant Forest, and matchmaking platforms like those in Huzhou. It also examines China's outbound finance, noting that half of energy-related investments in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries went to fossil fuels, and suggests implementing mandatory exclusion lists and green standards to decarbonize these flows.

The report finds that China's labeled green bond market grew rapidly to become the world's second largest by 2019, reaching approximately $120 billion. While it has successfully attracted new issuers and funded significant projects in clean transport and energy, the market faces challenges including low international investor participation, a lack of standardized environmental reporting, and a high concentration of high-credit-rated large issuers. The report suggests unifying regulatory rules, expanding the issuer base to include more private enterprises, and strengthening monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems to improve transparency.

The document outlines the growth of the agtech and alternative protein sectors, noting a significant increase in global and Canadian capital investment between 2010 and 2020. It highlights Canada's position as a major agricultural exporter, specifically of pulses, while identifying challenges such as outdated regulation and infrastructure.